


Come Wander With Me

by Samunderthelights



Category: 13 Reasons Why (TV)
Genre: Boys In Love, Bullying, Canon-Typical Violence, Clustin, Don't copy to another site, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Enemies to Lovers, Falling In Love, Fluff, Happy Ending, Homophobic Language, Light Angst, M/M, Teen Romance, Teenage Drama, Teenagers, Zalex, bryce and monty are assholes, same characters / same setting / different story, the boys have girlfriends but not for long
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-17
Updated: 2020-10-29
Packaged: 2021-03-03 19:00:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 34,079
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24770461
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Samunderthelights/pseuds/Samunderthelights
Summary: Alex doesn't mind that whenever he gets to spend time with Jessica, Hannah is always there too. What he does mind, is Hannah's boyfriend being part of the deal. He can't stand Zach, and he isn't afraid to tell him why.In the meantime Hannah is determined to help Clay out with his crush on Justin.
Relationships: Clustin - Relationship, Justin Foley/Clay Jensen, Zach Dempsey/Alex Standall, Zalex - Relationship
Comments: 79
Kudos: 236





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi!  
> I'm pretty new to writing for this fandom, having only posted a Zalex one-shot before. But I'm working on a few different things, this being one of them, and I have to say that it's been exciting writing these (for me) new characters. I do have to say that it's the characters from the show, but none of the show / book's events have happened. So same characters, same setting, different story.  
> I'm really bad at tagging, and the rules for tagging seem to be different in every fandom, so if you feel like I've missed something, just let me know!  
> Oh yeah, and I haven't tagged Alex / Jessica, and Zach / Hannah, but that's because they are really just the starting point. This story is, I promise, all about Alex / Zach and Justin / Clay.  
> The chapters are pretty short, and I'm still writing, so I'm not sure how many chapters there will be. So yeah, let's see where it goes!  
> Enjoy!  
> Xx

“Go over and talk to him, Jess. He has been checking you out ever since he got here,” Hannah laughs, as her best friend glances over her shoulder. “Unless you want me to go talk to him for you?”

“No, definitely not,” Jessica laughs. “But what if he’s like… super weird or something? He’s always on his own at school.”

“And you know this how?” Hannah asks, raising an eyebrow. “Have you been checking him out too?”

“No! Maybe… he is cute, right? Or am I just…?”

“Yes, Jess, he is cute. Super cute. So just go and talk to him. It’s getting weird, knowing he’s sitting there, staring at you.”

“He’s not staring.”

“Ehm, he is, actually.”

“Fine, but if he turns out to be a real dick…”

“I’ll buy you another drink, I promise,” Hannah says, flashing a big smile, before giving her friend a playful shove. “Now go on!”

Jessica gets up, and she takes a deep breath before going over to the teenage boy sitting at a table by himself. He is now reading his book, and she actually wonders if he had been checking her out at all. But even when she first moved here last month, she noticed him, and he has been catching her eye almost every day. So with this being a new place, a fresh start and all that, she decides to just go for it.

“Hi.”

“Hi,” the boy says, and he flashes an uncomfortable smile.

“I’m Jessica.”

“Alex.”

“I was wondering if maybe you…,” Jessica begins, but she has never actually asked anyone out before, and she wonders if she should just ask him, or if she should try and strike up a conversation first. Because let’s be real, they don’t even know each other.

“Yes?”

“Do you maybe want to hang out some time?” Jessica blurts out, already imagining Hannah telling her off if she goes back and has to tell her that she was too scared to ask him out. “I mean…”

“Like a date?” Alex asks, looking more confused, and even a little troubled by the suggestion.

“Yeah, I mean… unless you don’t want to. That’s totally cool.”

“No, it’s… sure. Why not?” Alex says, and he flashes a small, uncomfortable smile.

“Cool.” Jessica smiles, not sure where to go from here. Should she ask him for his number, do they set up a date right now? But before she can think of what to say, she notices Hannah motioning for them to come over. “Do you want to join me and my friend for a drink?”

“Oh, I wouldn’t want to interrupt.”

“That’s fine. Hannah’s boyfriend should be here any minute anyway.”

“Oh… sure.”

They get up, and they go over to the girls’ table, where Hannah flashes a big smile.

“Hey, I’m Hannah.”

“Alex.”

A bit of an awkward silence follows, and the girls show a knowing look, having hoped to get a bit more enthusiasm out of the teenage boy, and not this awkward looking around him.

“So, Alex…,” Hannah begins, trying to think of what to say, but when she notices her boyfriend coming over to their table, she breathes a sigh of relief, hoping he will be able to get the conversation going. He and Alex have been going to the same school for longer, so perhaps they even know each other, have something in common?

“I’m sorry I’m late,” Zach says, before leaning down to kiss Hannah, and sitting down next to her. “Coach kept going on and on about… oh, hey,” he says, only now noticing Alex, and he flashes a friendly smile.

“Do you two know each other?” Jessica asks, but when she sees Alex growing even more uncomfortable, she wishes she wouldn’t have brought him over here. Perhaps he is shy, and not one for groups. Perhaps she should have just arranged a date with him and left it at that. But it’s too late for that now, isn’t it?

“Yeah, we know each other,” Alex grumbles.

“Sort of.” Zach nods.

“You’re friends with Bryce and Monty.”

“I wouldn’t say we’re friends, but…”

“Since when?” Hannah laughs, quickly realizing she has just said the wrong thing, when Alex gets up.

“I should go home.”

“Oh, yeah, of course. Do we…,” Jessica begins, but Alex cuts her off, growing more agitated by the second.

“I’ll see you in school,” he says, before walking off, not even saying goodbye to the others.

“Right… what was that about?” Jessica asks. “What is his problem with you?”

“Bryce and Monty, they usually talk shit about him… call him names and stuff like that,” Zach explains, a guilty look on his face.

“Why? He seems like a nice guy. A little awkward, but I think he’s just shy,” Hannah suggests.

“Because he’s gay.”

“No, he’s not,” Jessica laughs. “He literally just asked me out.”

“Technically you asked him out.”

“Fine, but still. He’s not gay, and even if he was, what’s Bryce and Monty’s problem with that?” Jessica asks. “Seriously, the guys in this school are complete and utter…”

“Thanks,” Zach chuckles awkwardly, and his girlfriend wraps her arm around his waist, and lays her head on his shoulder, flashing a reassuring smile.

“Don’t worry, you’re an exception.”

“Yeah, you’re alright. You just need to pick better friends.”

“Fair enough,” Zach agrees, knowing fully well not to disagree or argue with these girls.

“So… you’re going out on a date with Alex?” Hannah asks, a shy smile forming on her best friend’s face.

“Yeah, I guess I am.”

-~-~-~-

Alex is standing by his locker the next morning, trying to go by unnoticed as usual, but when he feels a hand on his back, he jumps up, still remembering last week, when Bryce and his friends had slammed him into the wall, leaving him with a back covered in bruises.  
But when he turns around, he finds Jessica standing there, a friendly smile on her face.

“I’m sorry about yesterday,” Alex quickly says, fully aware that he didn’t exactly leave the best impression. “I just…”

“Don’t worry, Zach told us, about Bryce and Monty. Those guys are assholes.”

“No shit.”

“Zach is different though. He’s alright,” Jessica tries, but Alex just sighs. “When I asked you out yesterday… we don’t have to go out if you don’t want to. We can just be friends, or…”

“No, I want to.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah. Why?” Alex asks, not failing to notice the hesitation on her face.

“It’s just something Zach said, but it doesn’t matter.”

“What did he say?” Alex spits out, sick and tired of Bryce and his friends making his life a living hell. He tries his best to ignore it, but with every day that goes by, he feels more and more like one day he will explode.

“Really, it doesn’t matter.”

“What did he say, Jessica?”

“He told me they bully you because you’re gay,” Jessica admits, a guilty look on her face. “I told him you’re not, but…”

“I’m not,” Alex quickly says. “They say that about everyone.”

“Yeah, I know.”

Jessica flashes a smile, hoping it will show Alex that she believes him, but she can tell that he is still bothered by the whole thing.

“How about we go see a movie tonight?” she asks. “I’m not sure what’s on, but…”

“I’d like that,” Alex says, flashing a genuine smile, and he can see Jessica’s eyes lighting up. “Should I come pick you up, or do we meet there, or…?”

“We’ll meet there at seven?”

“Sure.” Alex smiles. “I’ll see you then?”

“Yeah,” Jessica chuckles nervously. “I ehm… I’ve got to get to class, but… yeah.”

Alex can’t help but smile to himself as he watches her walk off, but when he notices Bryce and his friends coming into the hallway, he quickly closes his locker, hoping to get away from them before they notice him.  
He is too late though, because before he can walk away, Monty shoves him against his locker, hard, and it makes him gasp for air.

“Faggot!” Monty spits out, his friends laughing as they walk on. Alex almost goes after them to fight them, but these are the jocks, and he knows he probably wouldn’t even be able to take on one of them, let alone all of them. So he takes a deep breath, and he tries his best to hold down his anger. Again.

\--

“Are they…?” Clay begins, glancing over to Alex and Jessica, who are chatting and laughing over on the other side of the lobby. “Are they on a date?”

“Yeah, why?” Hannah laughs. “Jealous?”

“No, I just thought… you know…”

“Thought what?”

“I thought Alex was gay,” Clay whispers.

“Not everyone is gay, Clay,” Hannah laughs, rolling her eyes. “I think they look cute together.”

“I’m not saying I don’t, I just thought…”

“He’s not. Disappointed?”

“No!” Clay quickly says, a teasing smile on his friend and colleague’s face. “He is definitely not my type.”

“No… he looks nothing like Justin, does he?”

“I do not… I mean, yeah, Justin looks nice, but…,” Clay tries, but when Hannah raises an eyebrow, he sighs. “It’s not like that.”

“Of course it isn’t,” Hannah says, having noticed Clay staring at the young man every time he and his friends come in to see a movie. “There’s this party at Jess’ next week, why don’t you come? Justin will be there too.”

“I really shouldn’t.”

“Come on, it’ll be nice! We can dance, have a gossip about who is going to end up with who… you can have a drink and flirt a little with a certain boy…,” Hannah teases, but Clay glares at her, and it makes her laugh. “Please, it’ll be fun!”

“Yeah, right. You’ll be with Zach, and I’ll be on my own, trying not to get thrown up on.”

“That happened once!”

“Yeah, and that was enough to make me not want to go to one of those parties again.”

“Come on,” Hannah tries, using her eyes to beg him to change his mind. It seems to work, because he shakes his head, smiling to himself. “That’s a yes?”

“Maybe.”

-~-~-~-

“How did it go?” Hannah asks, when she sees Jessica coming into school the next morning. “I was going to text last night, but Zach came over, so…”

“Yeah, I do not need to know more,” Jessica laughs. “It was really nice, actually. He was so much more relaxed. I think he was just a little uncomfortable with the whole Zach being friends with Bryce thing. But yeah, it was great.”

“So when is the next date?”

“I invited him to my party.”

“Oh, speaking of your party. I invited Clay,” Hannah says. “Justin will be there too, right?”

“I think so. Zach said he was going to invite the guys, so he’ll probably be there. Why?”

“Okay, don’t tell him I told you, but I’m pretty sure Clay likes Justin.”

“Oh, wow,” Jessica laughs. “Yeah, good luck with that. You know Justin is friends with Bryce, right?”

“Yeah, but he seems different.” Hannah shrugs, but when her friend raises an eyebrow, she chuckles. “Okay, maybe not that different. But I like to believe that things can work out between them.”

“You watch too many movies.”

“Maybe. But if we can just get them to spend time together…”

“Oh no, Hannah, there is no ‘we’ in this. I am not getting involved in setting them up together. That is all on you.”


	2. Chapter 2

“You don’t want to go in there either?” Alex asks, when he finds Clay standing in the street, looking up at Jess’ house. “Did Hannah force you to come?”

“Pretty much. Are you here for Jessica?” Clay asks. “I know you two were on a date the other week.”

“Yeah. But this isn’t exactly the kind of thing I had in mind for a second date,” Alex admits. “Do you know if Bryce and Monty will be there?”

“I think so. Zach will be there, and I don’t think he goes anywhere without the other guys, so…”

“Right…”

“Are they still giving you shit?” Clay asks, but when he sees Alex’s pale face, he already knows the answer. “Look, man, they used to do the same thing to me. Just try and ignore them.”

“Sure, I’ll just ignore getting my head kicked in every other week.”

“Have you told anyone at school?”

“What’s the point? They’ll give them a warning, and that’s it. They’ll only have it in for me worse if I get them in trouble.”

Clay wishes he could say something to make it all better, because he has been where Alex is now, and he knows how much it hurts, but he doesn’t know how to fix it either.

“Maybe now that you’re with Jess…”

“You think that’ll stop them?” Alex scoffs. “Those guys are bullies, Clay.”

“Yeah, I know.”

“Whatever, let’s just go inside, yeah?”

“Talk to someone, okay? If it gets too bad, tell someone,” Clay says, but the other teenager ignores him, and he walks off.

\--

“See? I told you it’d be nice,” Hannah says, as she crashes down next to Clay, who has been chatting to Jessica and Alex since getting away from the kitchen, where somehow he had ended up in charge of the drinks.

“Yeah… whoohoo,” Clay sarcastically says, and Jessica can’t help but laugh.

“It’s really not so bad. Besides, the view is pretty nice, isn’t it?” Hannah asks, nudging her head into the direction of Justin, who is on the other side of the room, hanging out with Bryce and the other guys.

“Please tell me we’re not talking about Bryce Walker,” Alex says, looking more disgusted than anything. “Seriously, that guy is…”

“We’re not,” Jessica quickly says, as Zach joins them, his arms sliding around Hannah’s waist, before kissing the top of her head.

“Justin?” Alex asks, the blush on Clay’s face enough to tell him he’s right. “Shit.”

“What about Justin?” Zach asks.

“Nothing,” Clay quickly says. “We were just talking about…”

“Clay having a crush on Justin,” Hannah laughs, her colleague sinking down deeper into the couch, really wishing he wouldn’t have come here tonight.

“Isn’t he straight?” Jessica asks, looking back at the guys at the other side of the room.

“Who? Justin?” Zach laughs. “No, he isn’t.”

“But didn’t he used to date Kat?”

“Yeah, but he is definitely into guys. Trust me.”

“Wow, do I want to know how you’re so convinced he is?” Hannah laughs, gripping tightly onto her boyfriend’s arms around her waist.

“Because he got into a fight with Bryce about it when he came out,” Zach explains. “They made up again, obviously. But yeah, it was a whole thing.”

“Well… I guess you have no excuse not to ask him out now,” Hannah says, a daring grin on her face, but Clay just grumbles something. “He’s hot, Clay!”

“I’m going to get a drink,” he announces, quickly getting up and walking off.

“You know why he won’t ask him out, right?” Alex asks, and they all look at him. “Because Bryce and his friends used to bully him too. He can’t just ask Bryce’s best friend out now, can he?”

“Oh…”

“But Justin doesn’t do that stuff,” Jessica tries, but Alex rolls his eyes, not failing to notice the guilty look on Zach’s face.

“No, just like Zach doesn’t beat the shit out of me. But they still stand by and watch it happen, don’t they?”

The dig at Zach makes the atmosphere turn icy cold, and it isn’t until Jessica starts talking about something that had happened at school that day, that they can all manage to ease up again, but Alex can still feel Zach staring at him with that guilty look on his face. He ignores it though, because he hasn’t said anything that isn’t true, has he?

\--

“Do you have a minute?” Zach asks, when he catches up with Alex, who is on his way home after the party.

“Why? So you can tell me that you’re not like your friends, and that you’re really a nice guy?”

“No. You were right, with what you said before,” Zach admits. “I should have said something, when they were giving you a hard time.”

“Well, you didn’t. Can I go home now?” 

“I’m sorry, okay?”

“Whatever, Zach. I don’t even care anymore,” Alex sighs, ready to turn around, but when Zach grabs his arm, he flinches.

“I’m not… I’m not going to hurt you. I just want to say I’m sorry, and I don’t want us to be like this. So can we start over? For Hannah and Jess’ sake,” Zach explains, and all Alex wants to do is tell him off, but instead he just nods. Because he is too tired to fight him, and he knows he will have to put up with him from now on, so he might as well make their time together as tension-free as possible.

“But you know your friends are dicks, right?”

“They’re not my friends.”

“Right,” Alex says, a small smile forming on his lips when Zach extends his hand. “I’ll remember that next time they kick my head in,” he teases, as he shakes the other teenager’s hand.

“I don’t…”

“Relax, it was a joke.”

-~-~-~-

“Right, I don’t know what happened, but I like it,” Hannah says, the biggest smile on her face, as she looks from her boyfriend to Alex.

“We made up,” Zach says, and he flashes Alex a smile. “I apologized, for being a dick.”

“Oh, wow,” Hannah laughs. “I would say you’re not, but… I’m glad you’ve worked out your differences. Now we can all hang out together, without you two acting like you’re…”

“Yeah, I’m pretty sure that was my fault.” Alex nods, a sheepish grin on his face. “Sorry.”

“Speaking of hanging out together. Where is Jess?” Zach asks, looking around Monet’s. “Didn’t we say five?”

“She’s probably still at practice. I can’t stay much longer though, I promised my parents I’d help them out at the store, so…”

“I better go then,” Alex says, wishing he hadn’t come at all, already feeling like an outsider enough as it is. To be the odd one out, without Jess here, it’s more than just a little uncomfortable.

“No, stay,” Hannah quickly says. “You know, it wouldn’t do you any harm to hang out together. You might even like each other,” she teases, before giving her boyfriend a kiss and getting up. “Don’t kill each other, okay? Love you.”

“Say hi to your parents for me.”

“I will,” Hannah says, and she gives Alex a wave before walking off.

“What?” Zach laughs, when he sees the look on Alex’s face.

“Nothing.”

“No, tell me.”

“She just said ‘I love you’, and you responded with ‘say hello to your parents for me’?” Alex laughs. “It was funny, that’s all.”

“Yeah, well…,” Zach begins, but he has just been caught out, and there is no point denying it. “How about another drink? I’m paying.”

“Sure,” Alex laughs, and he watches as Zach gets up and orders them both another drink. He had been so full of anger because of everything Bryce and his friends have done to him, that he had just assumed that Zach was just like them. But even in the way Zach is smiling at the young man making their drinks, he can see that he is different. Whereas the other teenagers seem cruel, and they seem to get off on making other people’s life a living hell, he seems kind. Only when he’s not with them though, because when he’s with them, he laughs along to their cruel jokes, and he stands by and watches. It’s like he is someone else entirely, and Alex can’t help but wonder who he really is. And why is he pretending to be something he isn’t?

“Can I ask you something?” he asks, when Zach sits back down at the table.

“Sure.”

“Why are you friends with those guys?”

“I told you, they are not my friends.”

“You are always with them at school,” Alex says, but Zach just shrugs. “Why? You can see what they’re like, right?”

“Yeah, I know. But we’re on the same team, so… I don’t know, man.”

“Are you scared to stand up to them? Is that it? Do you think they’ll kick you off the team?”

“No. Look, I am not like them, okay? And I don’t agree with the shit they say.”

“I know, that’s why I don’t get it. Why would you want to hang out with them? What do you get out of it?” Alex asks, but then he looks down at his drink, embarrassed at having spoken to Zach in this way. “Sorry, it’s none of my business.”

“Because it’s expected of me?” Zach admits, and when Alex looks up at him, he can see how ashamed he is to admit it. “I know that makes me weak, Alex. But I’m trying, okay?”

Alex can’t help but smile, because up until just a few days ago he had been ready to fight him, yet here they are, talking, actually being honest with each other.

“I would like for us to be friends,” Zach says, his hand tightly gripping onto his mug. “Not just because of Hannah and Jess.”

“I’m sure Bryce would love that,” Alex scoffs. “But thanks, I guess.”

“I don’t care what Bryce thinks, okay?”

“Yeah, right,” Alex laughs, a shy smile forming on Zach’s face. “Seriously. How can you hang out with him? Doesn’t it get boring, that whole act of his?”

“A little,” Zach admits. “You know, I don’t even listen to what they say half the time. It’s the same old shit every day, so…”

“Calling girls sluts, calling guys faggots?” Alex suggests, and just as Zach was beginning to relax, he tenses up again, looking embarrassed. “That shirt hurts, you know? Even if they are just words.”

“I’ve never actually called anyone a faggot or a slut. I wouldn’t. I stood up for Justin when he came out, so…”

“Wow, look at you,” Alex says, Zach not failing to notice the sarcasm.

“You really hate me, don’t you?”

“I don’t hate you, Zach. I just don’t get you. At school you’re ‘one of the guys’, and with Hannah you’re completely different. I’m just trying to figure out which version is the real you.”

“Well, I just told you, so…”

Alex picks up his drink, wishing he would have left when Hannah did. But when he notices Clay looking for a table, he quickly calls out for him.

“Want to join us?”

“I’m just waiting for someone, but thanks,” Clay says, flashing an uncomfortable smile, still remembering how Zach now knows about his crush on Justin.

“Oh?” Alex asks, raising an eyebrow.

“It’s Tony, and it’s not, like a date or anything,” he quickly adds. “I should ehm…”

“Sure,” Alex laughs, and he watches as Clay makes his way over to an empty table.

“Am I missing something?”

“He’s probably embarrassed Hannah told you he likes Justin.” Alex shrugs. “You didn’t tell him, right?”

“No, I am staying out of that.”

“Do you think it could ever work between them?” Alex asks, keeping his voice down. “With Justin being friends with Bryce and everything.”

“They’re not as close as they used to be. Ever since Bryce gave him shit for being gay, Justin has been off with him. They still hang out, but he doesn’t take his crap as much anymore. So I don’t know, if he likes him, I think he’ll go for it. I don’t think he’d let Bryce stop him.”

“You know Hannah is talking about setting them up, right? Jess told me.”

“Yeah, I know. She tried to get me involved too, but like I said, I am staying well out of that,” Zach laughs. “But good for her, I guess? We’ll see how it works out.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tumblr : https://samunderthelights.tumblr.com/


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi!  
> Thank you for the lovely feedback!!  
> For now it looks like I'll be posting a new chapter every wednesday, but if it changes somewhere along the way, I'll let you know!  
> Xx

It’s been a few weeks since Alex and Jessica started dating, and although there has only been one more actual date since her party, they had had the conversation a few days ago, and they had decided to make things official between them. Alex is still getting used to having her kissing him in the hallway, or spending every lunch with her and Hannah, and sometimes Zach, if he can manage to break away from his friends.

They were meant to hang out together, the four of them, at Monet’s, but Hannah had been asked to come in earlier at the cinema and Jessica had sent a text, telling Alex she couldn’t make it. So Alex is just grabbing his things, ready to go home, but just as he is about to close his locker, he hears Bryce and his friends coming into the hallway. Zach is with them, and for a moment Alex thinks it will make a difference, but when he sees the angry look on Monty’s face, he knows that it’s just wishful thinking.

“What are you looking at, huh?” Monty spits out.

“I wasn’t…,” Alex tries, but the friends are already coming over to him. “I’m sorry.”

“Fucking faggot!” Monty grits through his teeth, before giving Alex a hard shove.

“Leave him alone,” Zach says, and for a moment they all just look at him, shocked to have him saying something at all. “Just back off, yeah?”

“What, is he your fucking boyfriend or something?” Bryce laughs. “Is he sucking your dick?”

“Fuck you, Bryce. You think you’re the big guy when you say shit like that?” Zach asks. “Is that it? You think girls will want to fuck you if you keep reminding them that you’re not gay? That you’re some kind of homophobic asshole?”

“What has gotten into you?” Bryce asks, staying surprisingly calm. “I was just kidding, man. But if you two _are_ fucking…”

“For a guy who’s supposedly straight, you sure seem to care a lot about…,” Alex begins, but when Monty gives him another shove, before wrapping a hand around his throat, he has no choice but to keep quiet.

Zach pulls Monty off though, and he grabs onto Alex’s arm, a guilty look on his face.

“Are you okay, man?”

“Holy shit,” Bryce laughs. “You really are fucking him, aren’t you?”

“Just shut up, Bryce,” Justin spits out. “You know how dumb you sound, right? Going around, calling everyone a faggot.”

“Seriously, what is going on today?” Bryce asks. “You know I’m only messing.”

“Yeah, just like you were only messing when you threatened to kick my ass if I ever kissed a guy at school? Or when you kicked my head in, when I came to you to talk about this shit? I am sick of your shit, Bryce.”

“Yeah? Well, if you’re so sick of me, then why don’t you go and find somewhere else to stay, huh?” Bryce asks, a devious grin forming on his face.

“You’re kicking me out? Are you for real?”

“Look, guys…,” Zach tries, but Bryce steps up to Justin, something in his eyes so dark, so evil, that it makes him keep quiet.

“You think anyone else has your back like I do, huh?” Bryce grits through his teeth, Justin trying to hide how much his words are getting to him, but he can feel himself beginning to shiver, only now realizing just what he has done. “Good luck, yeah?”

“Bryce…”

Bryce and the other guys walk off, leaving Justin, Zach and Alex standing there, trying to take in what has just happened. There is a tense silence, until Clay steps into the hallway, a guilty look on his face.

“Sorry, but I heard what happened…”

“Yeah,” Justin says, “I just got made homeless, that’s what happened. So if any of you have a couch I can crash on…”

“I’m sorry, man, but you know what my mom is like,” Zach says, but Justin just shrugs, still shivering from Bryce cutting him off like that. “I can ask her, but…”

“You can stay at mine,” Clay quickly says, and they all look at him, fully aware that he and Justin have probably not shared more than a dozen words in all the time they’ve known each other.

“Thanks,” Justin says, looking a little uncomfortable. “Won’t your parents mind?”

“No, I know they won’t,” Clay says, faking a smile, hiding his panic. Because no, he has no idea whether his parents will mind or not. And he didn’t exactly get the chance to think it through before he had offered to let him stay at theirs, but now it is starting to get through to him that it means that they will probably have to share a room, and he is not sure how he feels about it. Sure enough, he had fantasized about sharing a room with Justin plenty of times, but to actually have it happen? He isn’t prepared for that.

\--

Zach had offered Alex a ride home, because he was pretty shaken up after what had happened. He was planning on going home after dropping him off, but Alex had suggested they’d hang out, because he felt like it was the least he could do after Zach had finally stood up for him.

“Thanks,” he says, his eyes focused on the game on the tv. “For defending me.”

“I’m sorry for not saying something sooner.”

“You know they’ll think you’re gay now, right?”

“They think everyone is gay,” Zach chuckles uncomfortably. Alex keeps his eyes focused on the screen, not even noticing that Zach has begun staring at him, but when Zach’s character dies, he looks at him.

“What are…,” he begins, but before he can even finish his sentence, Zach has kissed him.

The kiss lasts far too long, until Alex breaks it off, a guilty look on his face.

“I’m sorry.”

“I’m pretty sure I kissed you,” Zach says, looking flushed and confused.

“We shouldn’t be doing that.”

“No, you’re right,” Zach quickly agrees, and he flashes an uncomfortable smile. “I should probably go home.”

“You don’t have to. We can play another game, right?” Alex suggests, and Zach hesitates for a moment, before nodding, and looking back at the screen, still struggling to process what exactly has just happened, and more importantly, why it happened.

\--

“Can I ask you something?” Clay asks, when he and Justin are up in his room that night.

“Yeah, sure.”

“So you’re really gay?” Clay asks, nervous to ask, but he has to know. Not even because he likes Justin, but because he doesn’t understand.

“Yeah, why?”

“Then how can you be friends with Bryce and Monty? Those guys go around calling everyone faggots. Doesn’t that bother you?”

“Of course it does,” Justin says, before a smile forms on his face. “You know how I ended up here, right?”

“But… Zach said Bryce didn’t accept it when you came out. So…”

“Bryce doesn’t care that I’m gay,” Justin explains. “Not really. But people know that I used to stay over at his place, so he freaked out because he thought people would think something was going on between us. He was scared it would ruin his chances with girls, you know? But he doesn’t care if I like guys or not.”

“So… if you’re gay, then what was all that with Kat?” Clay asks, and Justin can’t help but laugh at being questioned like this. He knows it’s harmless though, and he doesn’t mind talking about it to Clay. Not at all.

“I was still trying to figure out what I liked, what I didn’t like. But Kat knew I was into guys,” he explains. “and when she left… I guess I just realized that girls aren’t really my thing.”

“Do your parents know?”

“My mom’s a junkie, and I haven’t even met my dad.”

“Oh… right,” Clay mumbles, feeling like he has just put his foot into it. But then Justin double-checks to see if the door is closed, before he flashes another smile.

“Do your parents know about you?”

“Me? Oh no, I’m not… I’m not.”

“Right,” Justin laughs. “So you’re really going to lie to me after I’ve just answered all your questions?”

“No…”

“Jensen!”

“Fine, yes… I’m not gay though,” Clay mumbles, looking down at his hands. “and my parents don’t know.”

“That’s cool. I won’t tell them.” Justin smiles. “So you’re bi?”

“Pan, I guess?” Clay shrugs. “I don’t know. I’m still figuring it out, I think.”

“The girls or the guys?”

“I don’t know,” Clay admits, flashing a nervous smile when he looks up, only to find Justin staring at him with a warm, reassuring smile on his face. “The telling people, I guess. My friends know, but I just don’t feel like telling my parents.”

“Then don’t.” Justin shrugs. “If you ever have a boyfriend, just introduce him to them. They seem cool, so I doubt they’ll make a big deal out of it.”

“I hope so.”

“Is there a boyfriend? Are you and Tony…?”

“No!” Clay laughs. “Definitely not.”

“There is someone though, isn’t there?” Justin asks, a knowing grin on his face. “What’s his name? Does he go to Liberty?”

“No!” Clay quickly says, his voice coming out all wrong, and he almost wishes he hadn’t brought any of this up. But when Justin just shakes his head, smiling to himself, he knows that even if he were to tell the truth, he wouldn’t be judged for it.

“He’s a lucky guy, you know?”

“You think so?”

“Yeah,” Justin says, flashing another smile, before lying down to go to sleep. “You’re not so bad, Clay.”

“Thanks,” Clay mumbles, not sure if Justin is just kidding or not. But when Justin looks up, a mischievous grin on his face, he can’t help but smile. “What?”

“You’re really not going to tell me who he is?”

“Definitely not.”

“Fine,” Justin laughs. “But you know I’ll find out, right?”

“Yeah… I’m sure you will.”

-~-~-~-

“I heard about what happened yesterday,” Jessica says, when she and Hannah come over to Alex the next morning. “Are you okay? Did Monty hurt you?”

“No, it was fine. Zach stopped him.”

“Zach did?” Hannah asks, “Really?”

“Yeah, and then Justin got involved too, and Bryce kicked him out,” Alex explains, hoping to find Justin today so he can see if he’s okay. But right now he has bigger and more important things on his mind, like the fact that Zach had kissed him. “Have you talked to Zach at all?”

“No, I sent him a text last night, but…,” Hannah begins, but before she can finish her sentence, Zach comes up to them. Alex almost turns and leaves, but when Jessica wraps an arm around his waist, he just fakes a smile, hoping she won’t see right through it.

“Alex just told us what happened yesterday.”

“He did?” Zach asks, and Alex notices the panicked look on his face.

“About you standing up for me, and Bryce kicking Justin out,” he quickly explains.

“Oh, yeah…”

“I should probably try and find Justin, see if he’s okay,” Alex says, but when they all look at him, he shrugs. “What?”

“You don’t owe him anything, you know?” Jessica asks. “If he’s fighting with Bryce, that’s on him.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll check on him later,” Zach says, and he flashes Alex a smile, but it only makes Alex more uncomfortable.

“Oh, shit, Jess, I forgot to show you the ehm… thing.”

“The thing?” Zach laughs, teasingly grabbing onto his girlfriend’s waist. “What thing?”

“A girl thing,” Jessica says, before taking Hannah’s hand. “You’ll see. One day. If you’re lucky.”

The guys watch the girls walk off, before turning to face each other again, obviously both thinking about what had happened yesterday.

“I’m sorry, man. I shouldn’t have kissed you.”

“It’s fine.” Alex shrugs. “But just… you like Hannah, right?”

“Yeah. I don’t know why it happened,” Zach admits. “I’m sorry though, for putting you in that position.”

“We should just forget about it. Unless you think we should tell Jess and Hannah?”

“Whatever you decide. I fucked up, so…”

“Yeah, well, I kissed you back,” Alex mumbles, not sure if he wishes Zach would ask him why, or if he just wants the whole thing to go away. But when Zach flashes a small smile, he just finds himself returning it.

“We’re just going to forget about it?”

“I think it’s probably best if we do,” Alex says, and Zach nods, before turning to leave. “And Zach?”

“Yeah?”

“Thank you, for yesterday.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tumblr : https://samunderthelights.tumblr.com/


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi!  
> I have finished writing this story, so I can now tell you that there will be 16 chapters. Unless I change my mind and decide to add more, but let's keep it to 16 for now. ;-)  
> I've also been working on some shorter Zalex stories, and I posted two of them yesterday. One is a fluffy oneshot I had already written, and one is the first story for Zalex Week. So feel free to check those out. Or not. ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯  
> And thanks again to everyone who is reading this, and for the lovely feedback. <3  
> Xx

Zach had been up all night, thinking about the fact he had kissed Alex. He had replayed it over and over in his head, trying to figure out what had made him do it in the first place. But every time he had come up with the same answer, and that was that he had simply wanted to. He had felt horrible about doing it though, knowing that it wasn’t fair on Hannah and Alex, Jessica even. But after talking about it with Alex this morning, he does feel relieved, because maybe Alex was right, and they can just forget it ever happened. Even if when he had just seen him this morning, all he had wanted to do was kiss him again.

“Hey, man,” he says, as he goes over to Justin. “Are you okay? Did you talk to Bryce after what happened yesterday?”

“I haven’t seen him yet. But I really don’t feel like talking to him.” Justin shrugs. “I am done, Zach. I know we’ve been friends for years, but that guy is an asshole.”

“Yeah, I know,” Zach chuckles. “Are you staying with Clay?”

“He’s alright, you know?” Justin asks, as they go outside, but when he sees the grin on Zach’s face, he raises an eyebrow. “What? You don’t like him?”

“No, I do. I think he’s great.”

“But?”

“Nothing,” Zach laughs, wondering what Hannah would think if she knew Justin was actually beginning to like Clay. He won’t tell her though, not wanting to give her any more reason to try and set them up together.

“Did you talk to the guys?” Justin asks. “Did they give you shit for standing up for Alex?”

“Nah, I have been avoiding them all day. I can’t be bothered with them anymore either. It’s exhausting.”

“You’ve only just realized that?” Justin laughs.

“I ehm… if I tell you something, will you promise to keep it to yourself?” Zach asks, leading Justin over to a quiet place so they can talk.

“Of course. What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. I just… ever since Jess started dating Alex, we’ve been spending more time together, you know?”

“You and Jess?”

“Me and Alex,” Zach explains, and Justin nods, the smile on his face growing, already realizing where this is going. “I don’t know, man, but there’s just something about him that…”

“You like him?” Justin suggests, and although Zach wants to deny it, he knows that there’s no point, so he just nods. “What about Hannah?”

“I like her too. I don’t even know how I feel about him. Not really,” Zach tries to explain, but then he sighs, an embarrassed look on his face. “I kissed him though.”

“Oh, wow,” Justin laughs. “And? Did he kiss you back?”

“I think so? He was pretty shocked I kissed him, so…”

“No shit,” Justin laughs, his relaxed reaction making Zach breathe a sigh of relief. “Do you have feelings for him, or was it just a kiss?”

“I don’t know.”

“Have you had feelings for guys before?” Justin asks, but Zach just shrugs. “I’ll take that as a yes?”

“I mean, I’ve looked at guys, sure. But it’s different with Alex,” Zach admits, but then he shakes his head. “It doesn’t even matter. He’s with Jess, and I’m pretty sure he hates my guts.”

“Yeah, I’m pretty sure he doesn’t,” Justin says, letting out a small chuckle. “I saw the way he looked at you yesterday after you got Monty off him, so… but I get it, man, it’s a difficult situation. You’re with Hannah, he’s dating Jess…”

“I don’t want to hurt anyone.”

“Then don’t.” Justin shrugs. “Just take your time, trying to figure out how you really feel about him. But don’t go behind Hannah’s back. She doesn’t deserve that.”

“Do you think I should tell her about kissing Alex? I feel like I should, but I don’t want to hurt her, and I know she’ll be upset, so…”

“I don’t know, man, that’s a decision you have to make yourself. But if you tell her, just be honest with her. Tell her why you kissed him, and how you feel about him. How you feel about her. Don’t make her question herself, you know? When I was with Kat, I told her right from the start that I was into guys. That that had nothing to do with her.”

“I’m just scared to hurt her.”

“I mean, you could just tell her nothing, and ignore this thing with Alex and go on acting like you’re straight, but believe me, if you bottle that shit up, it’ll only make things worse,” Justin says, and although Zach knows he’s right, his words hit him harder than they should, and they make him feel sick to his stomach. “Look, I’m not saying you need to figure everything out now, or you need to choose or whatever. I’m just saying, don’t lie to her. Or to yourself.”

“Yeah, I know.” Zach nods. “Thanks.”

A silence follows, until Justin looks back at Zach, a mischievous grin on his face.

“So… Alex Standall, huh?”

“I am already regretting telling you,” Zach sighs, shaking his head to himself, but the grin on Justin’s face only grows bigger.

“No, I get it. He’s a good-looking guy.”

“Wait, you don’t… I mean, if you like him, then…”

“Relax,” Justin laughs. “I like the guy, but not like that. He’s all yours.”

Zach glares at him for a moment, but then he just playfully shoves him. Justin pulls him in for a hug though, the look on his face a serious one now.

“It’s going to be okay, you know?” he says, gripping onto Zach tightly. “Just be you, and don’t let those fucking idiots stop you, okay? I kept quiet for far too long because of Bryce, but he will give you shit, whatever you do. So if you like this guy… you shouldn’t give a shit what anyone thinks.”

“I know,” Zach says, but even though Justin is trying to reassure him, his words only make him feel worse. Because he hadn’t even thought about the team yet, or what they would say if they were to find out.

Justin lets go of Zach, and he flashes another one of his smiles.

“And welcome to the team, I guess?” he grins, and it takes a moment for Zach to realize what he’s saying, but then he shakes his head, laughing to himself.

“I’m not…,” he tries, but then he nods. “Yeah, alright. Thanks, I guess.”

Justin gives a wink, before walking off, leaving Zach feeling somewhat reassured, yet also even more confused as to where to go from here.

\--

Jessica had gone home with Alex after school, and after an awkward meeting with his father, they had gone up to Alex’s room. Alex had put on some music, but as soon as he had sat down next to Jessica on the bed, she had pushed him down and she had started kissing him. One thing had led to another, and they are now lying next to each other, both feeling nervous and giddy after what has just happened.

“I’m sorry, was that…,” Alex begins, blushing so badly, that it only makes his girlfriend laugh harder. “I’ve never gone down on a girl before, so…”

“No, that was…,” Jessica begins, but then she buries her face in her hands, still laughing.

“Oh, shit, it was that bad? Did I even make you come?”

“Yeah, you definitely did,” Jessica laughs. “I’m sorry, I don’t know why I can’t stop laughing. It was good. I swear.”

“Right…”

“It was.”

Alex sits up, looking more than just a little embarrassed, but when Jessica wraps her arms around his waist, and she begins to kiss his neck, he feels a small smile forming on his lips.

But then he remembers Zach kissing him yesterday, and for just a split-second, he wishes Zach was here with him, and not Jessica. The thought makes him feel sick to his stomach, and when his girlfriend tries to slide her hand into his jeans, he stops her.

“Sorry, I thought…”

“Not today,” Alex says, and he turns to look over his shoulder, faking a smile. “Next time, okay?”

-~-~-~-

“So… what’s going on with you and Justin?” Hannah asks, when Clay comes into work a few days after Justin has started staying with him. “Have you told him yet?”

“Told him what?”

“That you like him,” Hannah laughs. “Come on!”

“No, and I’m not going to. I only offered him a place to stay because he’d be out on the street otherwise, not to get into his pants!”

“So the fact that he is staying in your room right now has nothing to do with it?” Hannah asks, raising an eyebrow. “How can you share a room with the guy you like, and not…”

“Because it’s Justin Foley,” Clay says, like it’s the most obvious answer in the world. “I’m pretty sure he can get any guy he wants.”

“And who says he doesn’t want you?”

“I do. Have you seen the guy?”

“Have you seen yourself?” Hannah asks. “Seriously, Clay, just ask him out already.”

“No way. I have to share a room with this guy. If he says no…”

“Then at least you’ll know.”

“I already know,” Clay says, a determined look on his face, but Hannah just rolls her eyes at him, not convinced. “I am telling you, Justin Foley is not interested in me.”

“Whatever you say.”

\--

“Your parents just went out,” Justin says, when Clay steps into his bedroom that night, having just taken a shower after getting home from work. Justin is sprawled out on the bed, reading one of Clay’s comics, having made himself at home just fine since coming to stay with the Jensens.

“Oh… right,” Clay says, still not sure how to feel about seeing Justin on his bed. But he ignores it as he goes over to his wardrobe to get himself some clothes.

Justin gets up off the bed though, and he steps up to him, not stopping until he is a little too close for comfort.

“What are…,” Clay begins, his heart nearly beating out of his chest.

“I’m going to kiss you,” Justin says, so matter-of-factly, that Clay doesn’t even know how to react. But when Justin places a hand on the back of his neck, and he pulls him in for a kiss, he finds himself kissing him back, not hesitating for even a split-second.  
But when he feels Justin’s other hand making its way into the towel wrapped around his waist, he breaks the kiss, and he looks down, his face flushed.

“Is this okay?” Justin asks, but Clay can’t even react. His brain not having quite caught up with what is happening yet. “Do you want me to stop?”

“I…,” Clay tries, but when he sees the smile on Justin’s face growing, he shakes his head. “No, definitely don’t stop.”

“Are you sure?”

“Mhm,” Clay mumbles, having thought about this moment so many times, that he isn’t entirely sure if he isn’t imagining the whole thing right now. But when Justin begins to kiss him, he realizes that he doesn’t even care. Real or not, he’ll take it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tumblr : https://samunderthelights.tumblr.com/


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi!  
> This past week someone on Tumblr (sorry I don't know who you are 🙈) organized Zalex Week. Everyone who participated got 7 prompts for which they could write stories or create artwork. It was great fun to participate, and if you check out the zalexweek2k20 tag here on AO3, you can find some of the wonderful stories people wrote, or you can check the Zalex Week Tumblr out, where all stories and art were posted : https://zalexweek2k20.tumblr.com/  
> I wrote a story for every prompt, and if any of you are interested to see how they turned out, here they are : https://archiveofourown.org/series/1820161  
> Anywho, back to Come Wander With Me. Chapter 5 already.  
> Enjoy!!  
> Xx

When Hannah had asked him to come over tonight, Zach had been nervous that he would have to sit through an awkward dinner with her parents. But when he had gotten there, Hannah’s parents had been out, and after ordering in a pizza, they had crashed down to watch a movie. Zach had been relieved, and he had actually found himself enjoying the night. Until Hannah had asked him to go up to her room, before disappearing to the bathroom herself.

He had almost gone to check on her, because it was taking so long, but when she had come into the bedroom, her hair had been done, her face now all made up, and she was wearing nothing but a set of very revealing lingerie.

“What do you think?” she asks, failing to hide how nervous she is. “I mean… I know we haven’t really discussed it yet, but we’ve been together for a while now, so…”

“Right…,” Zach says, not sure how to react. “No, you look gorgeous. You do.”

“But?”

“I don’t… I’m not sure if I’m there yet,” Zach admits. “But that’s all me, that has nothing to do with you. I swear.”

Hannah can feel the tears welling up in her eyes, as she sits down at her desk, trying to cover herself up with her arms. But when Zach gets up, and he takes his sweater off to put over her shoulders, trying to be kind, it only makes her feel worse.

“Do you even love me?” she asks, but when she looks up, and she finds her boyfriend staring at her with a guilty look on her face, tears begin to fall from her eyes.

“I really like you, Hannah.”

“That’s not what I asked.”

“I promise that this has nothing to do with you. You are beautiful, and…”

“But you don’t want to have sex with me.”

“I can’t,” Zach sighs. “Look, I…”

“What?”

“I have to tell you something,” he says, not sure if this is the time and place to do this. But he knows he can’t keep it from her, because Justin had warned him what it would do to her, and seeing her sitting there, crying, it breaks his heart.

“Is there someone else?”

“I don’t know.”

“You don’t know?” Hannah scoffs. “What does that even mean?”

“Look, Hannah…”

“Do I know her?”

“I kissed someone,” Zach admits. “But it wasn’t a girl.”

A long silence follows, and Zach can see Hannah trying to process this new information. He wants to explain it to her, tell her that he still likes her, but he isn’t sure if she can take any more right now, so he just keeps quiet, until she gives a small nod.

“Do you like him?”

“I don’t know. But I do know that I wanted to kiss him,” Zach explains. “I should have told you, but I was scared, okay? I am still trying to wrap my head around it myself. I don’t even know what this means, if I am bi, or…”

“You think you might be gay?” Hannah asks. She has stopped crying, and she is surprising herself with how calm she feels. She would have been upset with Zach if he had gone out and he had intentionally cheated on her with a girl, but if he is questioning his sexuality, she feels like she can’t blame him. Not really.

“I don’t think so,” Zach sighs. “I like you, okay? I really do. But Alex…”

“Alex?” Hannah asks, her voice coming out all wrong, now feeling anything but calm. “You kissed Jess’ boyfriend?”

“I am sorry, okay? It was a one-sided thing, and he had nothing to do with it,” Zach says, knowing fully well that Alex had kissed him back, but Hannah doesn’t need to know that. “It won’t happen again. I promise.”

“But then…,” Hannah begins, but then she just laughs, it only now just hitting her that she was ready to sleep with Zach tonight, yet he doesn’t even love her. Not only does he not love her, apparently he likes Alex, and he isn’t even sure if he likes girls at all.

“I’m sorry.”

“Do you want to be with him?”

“No, of course not. It was just a kiss. I want to be with you.”

“I don’t see how that can work,” Hannah says. “Not when you might be gay.”

Zach nods understandingly, but when Hannah gets up, and she sits down with him, he flashes a small, apologetic smile.

“Look, if you are… I don’t care, okay?” Hannah says, trying her best to hide how heartbroken she is. “I still want us to be friends, because I like you, Zach. And I want you to be happy, but please don’t go after Alex, okay? He and Jess… they don’t need you trying to mess things up for them.”

Zach knows that she means well, but her words feel like a dig, and they make him feel sick with guilt.

-~-~-~-

“What’s going on with you?” Clay asks, when he finds Hannah standing by her locker the next morning, looking like she hasn’t slept at all. “What’s wrong?”

“Me and Zach…”

“You broke up?”

“Yeah.” Hannah nods. “It just wasn’t working out.”

“Oh, wow… yeah, I did not see that coming. You were still going on and on about him the other day.”

“Things changed, okay?” Hannah grumbles. “Can we please forget about it?”

“Sure. But if you want to talk…”

“I don’t.”

Clay keeps quiet, knowing fully well when not to push, but when Hannah walks away, he follows her, not wanting to leave her on her own when she’s obviously upset.

“Now that I no longer have a love life of my own to focus on…,” she begins, and Clay can already see where this is going. “Have you asked Justin out yet?”

“No…”

“But?”

“Nothing!” Clay quickly says, but by the blush on his face, Hannah can tell that he is hiding something.

“What happened?”

“Nothing.”

“Clay!”

“We kissed,” Clay admits. “and he… you know….”

“What?” Hannah laughs. “Oh my god, did you two have sex?”

“No!” Clay says, a little too loud, before lowering his voice and adding, “but he jerked me off.”

“Oh wow,” Hannah laughs. “When did this happen?”

“The other week. But it’s like it never even happened. I’m not even sure it did.”

“You are such an idiot. He obviously likes you. Just ask him out. If you don’t, I swear I will set something up.”

“Please don’t,” Clay says, but before Hannah can say something, they notice Zach and Justin, and although Zach gives a wave, the smile leaves Hannah’s face, and Clay quickly leads her away.

“What happened?” Justin asks. “Did you tell her about Alex?”

“I did,” Zach sighs. “and she dumped me.”

“I’m sorry, dude. How did she take it? Other than that she obviously dumped you.”

“I think she was more upset with the fact I kissed Alex than with the fact that I said I might be gay.”

“No shit, Jess is her best friend, so I can imagine she isn’t too pleased about you wanting to hook up with her boyfriend.”

“I don’t…”

“Yeah, right,” Justin laughs, but then he sighs, and he lowers his voice. “You really think you might be gay?”

“I don’t know, man. I like Hannah, I do, but…”

“You know there’s not just gay and straight, right? You make it sound like you have to choose,” Justin laughs. “You don’t.”

“I know. I guess it doesn’t really matter now anyway, does it? Hannah dumped me, Alex has a girlfriend…”

“For now.” Justin shrugs, and when Zach looks at him, he can’t help but laugh at the mischief written all over his face. “Who says he doesn’t feel the same way about you?”

“ _He_ did.”

“We’ll see.”

\--

“What the hell happened?” Jessica asks, when she sits down at their usual table at Monet’s. “You broke up with Zach? But weren’t you going to…”

“Sleep with him last night?” Hannah asks, already sniffling again. “I tried to, but then he told me he didn’t want to.”

“Maybe he’s just not ready. You can’t break up with him, just because he doesn’t want to have sex yet.”

“I know, okay?” Hannah spits out. “I wasn’t going to. But did you know he’s gay?”

“What? Zach is gay? What are you talking about?”

“Yeah, apparently he’s in love with Alex.”

“Alex?” Jessica asks, trying to make sense of what Hannah is telling her. “My Alex?”

“Actually, I’m not sure if he’s in love with him. But he did kiss him.”

“Alex and Zach kissed? Hannah, what the fuck are you talking about? Did he say this, or are you just making shit up because you guys broke up?”

“Zach kissed him,” Hannah explains. “He told me it was one-sided, but…”

“Did he tell you he is gay?” Jessica asks, reaching out to put her hand on Hannah’s, because she can see how upset she is. “Or just that he kissed Alex? Because you know that doesn’t have to mean anything, right? Maybe he was just confused, or… he loves you, Hannah.”

“He doesn’t. He told me he doesn’t,” Hannah admits, “He said he _liked_ me.”

“Because he’s a boy. Boys are bad at expressing their feelings.”

“He wasn’t bad at it when he said he’s into Alex.”

“I’m sure he isn’t,” Jessica tries. “Just talk to him, okay? Give it a few days, then sit down and talk about what happened. Maybe he kissed Alex, but at least let him explain why he did it.”

“He kissed your boyfriend, Jess. How can you tell me to go give him another chance?”

“Because I know how much you care about him, and it’s not worth throwing away what you have over one dumb kiss.”

“He kissed a guy.”

“Yeah, and I have kissed girls. That means nothing.” Jessica shrugs. “Talk to him, okay?”

\--

As Zach was about to head off home, he had noticed Monty following Alex out of the school. So he had gotten back out of the car, and he had gotten to them just in time to stop Monty from jumping Alex. Monty had fought back this time though, and although Alex had tried to split them up, the two teammates hadn’t stopped punching each other until one of the teachers had come out, and they were given a warning.

“Thanks,” Zach says, when Alex hands him an icepack for his swollen eye.

They are up in Alex’s room, Zach having giving him a ride and having gone home with him after the fight. It’s the first time they’ve been alone together since they had kissed, and Zach feels like he should be apologizing for it again. But before he gets a chance to, Alex sits down next to him, a guilty look on his face.

“I heard about you and Hannah.”

“Oh, yeah…”

“Is it because of what happened the other week? Because I can try and talk to her?”

“I don’t think that would do any good, but thanks,” Zach says. “No, we ehm… I think we’ll be better off as friends.”

“I’m sorry.”

Zach gives a nod, not sure what to say. But when he moves his hand, and it ends up touching Alex’s, he can feel the tension in the room growing. He knows he shouldn’t be doing this, but when he hesitantly caresses Alex’s hand, he can hear his breath getting caught in his throat. And when he looks at him, he can see just how much the small touch is doing to him.

He leans in, and as soon as their mouths meet, Alex wraps his arms around his neck. They crash back onto the bed, their mouths still glued together, and it feels like they will never break away from each other.

Alex slides his hands down to Zach’s ass, their kisses only growing hungrier, but when Alex grinds their hips together, Zach pulls away, a guilty look on his face.

“I’m sorry,” Alex quickly says, as he moves away from Zach. But when he notices Zach squirming, trying to cover up his erection, he can’t help but laugh. “Oh, wow…”

“Sorry,” Zach says, but then he sighs. “I’ve never done this before.”

“Me neither.”

“No, I mean… _this_. I’m a virgin,” Zach admits, half-expecting Alex to start laughing at him, but Alex just flashes a smile.

“That’s cool.”

“No, it really isn’t,” Zach chuckles uncomfortably. “But yeah, I can’t do this.”

“Wait, so you and Hannah never did it?”

“She wanted to, but I couldn’t. I wasn’t ready.”

“Are you waiting until you’re married, or…?” Alex asks, trying to understand, but Zach just shrugs. “I’m not judging you, I’m just asking.”

“I’m just waiting until it feels right, I guess,” Zach says, but he can feel his insides getting all wrangled up, because he knows that it feels right, being here with Alex. Yet he knows it couldn’t be more wrong, because Alex has a girlfriend.

Alex seems to notice what Zach is thinking, because he grabs his hand, a guilty look on his face.

“I want to be with Jess.”

“I know. I’m not trying to…”

“I don’t want to do this to her,” Alex says, his fingers sliding in between Zach’s. “I don’t want to be _that guy_. I’m not.”

“Maybe we shouldn’t be hanging out together anymore?” Zach suggests. “Unless it’s as a group?”

“Yeah…”

“You know I like you, right?”

“Don’t. Please,” Alex whispers, but when he looks up from their hands, and he sees the look on Zach’s face, he nods. “I know.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tumblr : https://samunderthelights.tumblr.com/


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi,
> 
> I am so sorry that this chapter is a couple of weeks late. I was supposed to update every week, but life unfortunately got in the way of that.  
> Long story (kind of short), my mental health already hadn't been at its best for a few months, but I thought I was doing okay. I guess I wasn't, because I had a bit of a breakdown, and my body's reaction to it was to shut down bit by bit. That was a little scary. So I had to step away from everything and focus on my health. I can't say I'm back to 100%, but maybe 50% ? We're getting there. 😅  
> But yeah, I am trying to get back to my normal posting schedule, so hopefully I should be able to get a new chapter of this up every wednesday.  
> Thank you so much if you're willing to give this another go. ❤️
> 
> Xx

Alex is lying on his bed, his eyes closed, his hands folded behind his head. He tries his best to focus on Jessica, on what she is doing to him, but it is taking him everything to keep his mind on her, and he can’t get himself to just let go and get into it.

“This isn’t working, is it?” Jessica asks, when she sits up. “I can keep trying, but…”

“Sorry,” Alex mumbles, reaching down to zip his jeans back up, and when he looks up at his girlfriend, he can see that there is something on her mind. And it’s not just the fact that he can’t get hard.

“Look, Alex…”

“This isn’t about you,” Alex quickly says. “I’m just tired, and it’s been a long day, so…”

“Hannah told me,” Jessica sighs, having kept the conversation to herself since last week, but she knows she needs to ask Alex about it. Especially after what just happened. “About Zach kissing you.”

“Oh… right…”

“I know what he said, and what Hannah made of it, but I want to hear it from you. Did he really kiss you?”

Alex nods, trying to figure out what he should say, if he should lie to protect not only himself but Zach too. But he knows Jessica deserves to know the truth, and although it had happened again, he still isn’t sure how he feels about Zach. What he does know, is that he likes Jessica, and that he wants to be with her though.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because it didn’t mean anything.” Alex shrugs. “I didn’t think it mattered.”

“Because you didn’t want me to know?” Jessica suggests, a guilty look on her boyfriend’s face.

“It meant nothing, Jess.”

“Then why did you keep it from me? Were you trying to protect Zach?”

“No,” Alex says, but then he shrugs. “Maybe. I knew it would only upset you, and I didn’t want you to think it was something it wasn’t.”

“Did you kiss him back?”

“Yeah, I did,” Alex admits, and Jessica takes a moment, but then she nods, trying her best to take it all in.

“Do you like him?”

“No. I like you, Jess. He kissed me, and I kissed him back, but I don’t even know why I did it.”

“I know I’ve asked you before, but I need to know, Alex. Are you gay? Because if you are…”

“I’m not gay,” Alex says, “I told you that.”

“Yeah, but you literally just told me that you kissed Hannah’s boyfriend,” she says, before quickly adding, “Ex-boyfriend, I guess. I just want you to be honest with me, Alex. I think you’re great, but if you’re lying to me, or if you’re keeping things from me…”

“I’m not,” Alex says, but then he looks down at his hands, an embarrassed look on his face.

“What? Did something else happen?”

“No, and I’m not gay. But I do like guys,” he admits, before letting out a nervous chuckle. “Shit. I’ve never told anyone that before.”

“You’re bi?”

“I guess.” Alex shrugs, still staring down at his hands, but when Jessica takes his hand, he looks up. “I should have told you, and I’m sorry I didn’t.”

“I get it,” Jessica says, before flashing a reassuring smile. “I would have been nervous to come out too, especially to someone you’ve only just started dating. But you could have told me. I don’t care that you’re bi, Alex. But I do care if you keep things from me. I need to know I can trust you.”

“That kiss with Zach meant nothing.”

“Okay.” Jessica nods, her gut feeling telling her that there is more to it than just a meaningless kiss, but she isn’t sure if Alex even realizes it himself. “You’ll tell me, won’t you? If you and Zach…”

“There is no me and Zach.”

“But if that changes, or if you meet someone else, or you grow tired of me, you’ll tell me, okay? I can handle it,” Jessica says. “Promise?”

“I’ll tell you.”

* * *

“Wait, can we talk?” Clay asks, when Justin is about to head downstairs for breakfast. “About what happened?”

“What happened…?” Justin teases, fully aware what Clay is talking about. But when he sees the embarrassed look on Clay’s face, he sighs, and he sits down on the side of his bed. “I’m just kidding, dude.”

“It did happen, didn’t it?”

“Yeah, of course.”

“But why…,” Clay begins, struggling to find the right words. Because he can’t just come out and tell him he likes him, can he? “Why did you kiss me?”

“Do you want me to spell it our for you?” Justin chuckles, but when he sees the blush on Clay’s face growing darker, he sighs. “Shit… I thought you wanted it too, man. I’m sorry, I…”

“I did,” Clay quickly says. “I really did, trust me. But I mean, we’re not exactly… you know…”

“We’re not what?”

“Are we even friends?”

“I’m pretty sure we became friends when you offered to let me move into your room,” Clay laughs uncomfortably. “and I don’t know about you, but I wouldn´t mind if we were more than friends.”

“You don’t even know me,” Clay blurts out, really wishing he would have said something better. Something nicer. He almost apologizes, but when Justin flashes a knowing grin, before placing a hand on his thigh, his mind feels like it is turning into mush. “I’m not… you’re a jock, and I’m just…”

“I like you, Clay,” Justin admits. “That’s why I kissed you, and…”

“Please don’t say it.”

“So you can do it, but you can’t talk about it?” Justin laughs, the grip on Clay’s thigh tightening. “Look, I’d love to do it again. But if you want us to just be friends, or roommates, that’s cool too.”

“Wait, you’re not talking about…?”

“I’m talking about going out on a date, maybe. If you can stop freaking out,” Justin laughs, before getting up. “Now come on, I’m starving.”

“Wait, Justin?”

“Yeah?”

“I’d like that. I think. Going on a date, I mean,” Clay stammers, the grin on Justin’s face only growing bigger. “Unless…”

“For fuck’s sake, Jensen. What can I do to show you I’m not kidding?” Justin laughs, “I already jerked you off.”

“Jesus, Justin! My parents will hear you!”

“Sorry…”

“You know they won’t let you stay here if they find out, right? So if we do this, we’ll have to keep it to ourselves.”

“Dude, we both know you are going to text Hannah as soon as I leave this room. She’ll tell Jess, who will tell Alex, and…”

“Fine, yeah, they can know. But my parents can’t know,” Clay says. “Not while you’re staying here.”

“I won’t say anything.”

* * *

“Thanks for coming over,” Hannah says, as she leads Zach into her bedroom. But she can see how nervous is, and she still remembers how they had been here, only last week, and it had ended with them breaking up. “Don’t worry, I’m keeping my clothes on this time,” she chuckles uncomfortably, trying to make things less uncomfortable. But it doesn’t work, so they sit down on the bed, Zach still not sure why Hannah has asked him to come over before school.

“Jess thinks I should have given you another chance,” Hannah admits, not sure how to start this conversation, so she might as well come out with it. “and I have been thinking about it, but…”

“Hannah…”

“No, please let me explain, okay? I want to be like her, where I can just forget about you kissing someone else, and move on. But I know that I wouldn’t be able to forget about it, and I would be thinking about it every time you kissed me. I know you said you wanted to be with me, but I can’t do that, Zach. It wouldn’t be fair on either of us to go there, knowing that I am still thinking about what happened.”

“I agree,” Zach says, “You shouldn’t have to be thinking about it. I am so sorry, Hannah, and I…”

“I am not angry, Zach. I know you didn’t do it to hurt me, and I am glad you told me. Now we can still be friends,” Hannah says, as she grabs onto her ex’s hand. “Because I love you, okay? And I just want you to know that you can talk to me about this stuff.”

“About…?”

“Boys. I mean, you are still figuring out…?”

“I really don’t think…,” Zach begins, but when he sees the smile on Hannah’s face, he can’t help but laugh. “I really appreciate it, but yeah, I don’t think I should be talking to you about that.”

“But you can. I promise I won’t get mad,” Hannah reassures him. “I just… and please don’t hate me for saying this, but I really wish it wouldn’t have been Alex. Why couldn’t it have been Justin?”

“No way,” Zach laughs, the smile on Hannah’s face still there, and it tells him that she is really starting to be okay with things. “No, me and Justin… he’s more like a brother to me.”

“He’s pretty cute though… right?” Hannah teases.

“I am so not doing this,” Zach laughs, ready to get up so they can go to school. But Hannah won’t let go of his hand, and when he looks at her, the smile on her face is gone.

“I just need to know, Zach. Do you like Alex?”

“I don’t know,” Zach admits. “I think so.”

“What about Jess?”

“Nothing is going on between me and Alex. I swear.”

Hannah is about to say something, but her phone buzzes, so she picks it up, only to find a text from Clay.

“Holy shit!”

“What?” Zach asks, when he sees the grin spreading all over his ex’s face.

“Apparently Justin just asked Clay out.”

“Took him long enough.”

“Wait, did Justin tell you about the ehm…?” Hannah asks, making a jerk-off motion with her hand.

“Oh, yeah,” Zach laughs. “Trust me, I know all about that.”

“I can’t believe that happened. You should have seen Clay’s face. He is so in love with that boy.”

“Yeah, he doesn’t hide it very well.”

“Oh, god, I can only imagine the look on his face when Justin asked him out,” Hannah laughs, but then she seems to remember her and Zach’s conversation, and she sighs. “We are okay, right?”

“I want us to be,” Zach says. “But I would understand if you don’t want to hang out with me anymore.”

“Zach, come on! Now that Clay doesn’t need my help anymore…”

“No way,” Zach laughs, Hannah already getting up, a big grin on her face. “I swear, if you try to set me up with someone…”

“Yeah, it would be a little weird, right?”

“You think?”

* * *

“Did you talk to him?” Jessica asks, when she pulls Hannah into the school bathrooms. “What did he say?”

“Nothing. I told him I thought we’d be better off as friends.”

“Why? Because he might like guys? Because that’s total…,” Jessica begins, but when a girl walks in, she lowers her voice. “Did you ask him if he wants to be with you?”

“No, Jess. I told you, me and him… I can’t just forget about it, okay? And I’d rather we stay friends, and I accept it, than we give it another try, and I end up resenting him for what he did. I don’t want to lose him.”

“Are you sure about this? Because I don’t want you to regret it, or think you should have…”

“It’s fine. Really.”

“Now I feel really bad about still going out with Alex,” Jess sighs. “He wasn’t exactly innocent, was he?”

“What do you mean?”

“He kissed him back.”

“What?” Hannah laughs. “Seriously? Oh, wow…”

“Yeah. I’m not saying Zach lied when he said that it was him who kissed Alex, but…”

“What if he was just trying to protect Alex?” Hannah asks. “Do you think it was Alex who kissed him?”

“I don’t know,” Jessica admits. “But there is something going on between them, Hannah. I’m not saying they’re hooking up, but you’ve seen the way they look at each other, right?”

“So why exactly did you tell me to give Zach another chance, if you’re convinced him and Alex are into each other?” Hannah laughs. “Why did you give Alex another chance?”

“Because I like him.” Jessica shrugs. “I’m probably just seeing things that aren’t there.”

“And if you’re right?”

“I guess we’ll figure it out when we get there.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tumblr : https://samunderthelights.tumblr.com/


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi!
> 
> Just a little warning that something gets mentioned in this chapter which might be upsetting for some of you to read about. It's something that was also mentioned on the show, but I still wanted to give a little heads up, just in case.
> 
> Xx

“Is this okay?” Justin asks, as he looks down at the pizza sitting in between himself and Clay in the grass. “I mean, I haven’t really done this dating thing before, so…”

“You dated Kat.”

“Well… we didn’t really… you know…”

“Then what did you do?” Clay asks, but by the smirk forming on Justin’s face, he already knows the answer. “Oh, right.”

“And I’ve never really gone out with guys like this before,” Justin admits. “Because of Bryce.”

“Bryce?”

“Don’t worry,” Justin laughs, when he sees the horrified look on Clay’s face. “Not like that. But I knew he would have kicked my head in if I had tried to go out with a guy at school, you know? So I just stuck to…”

“Hook-ups?”

“You think I fucked around?”

“Yeah,” Clay admits, not sure what would be the point in denying it. They all know the stories about Bryce and his friends.

“I have only ever been with one guy, okay?” Justin sighs. “I really liked him, until Bryce threatened to kick his ass if he ever came near me again. And before Kat, I had only had sex with one other girl.”

“Oh…”

“I’m not like those guys, Clay, whatever you might think.”

“Sorry…,” Clay mumbles, an embarrassed look on his face. “For what it’s worth, I only ever slept with one girl, and I hadn’t even kissed a guy until you kissed me, so…”

“Is that why you freaked out when I touched your dick?”

“I didn’t freak out!”

“You totally did,” Justin laughs, before grabbing another slice of pizza. “Don’t worry, dude, next time…”

“Next time?” Clay blurts out, the grin on Justin’s face only growing bigger.

“Yeah, next time. I mean, I know this isn’t like, the perfect date or anything, but I thought it was going alright.”

“Right…”

“Relax, Jensen,” Justin laughs. “I’m not saying I asked you out on a date just to try and have sex with you tonight, so you can breathe. I’m just saying… you know… it was nice, right? What we did the other week?”

“Yeah, definitely,” Clay chuckles, his cheeks flushing pink. “Really nice. I’m just not used to this.”

“No shit.”

“I’m trying, okay? But, and I’m not trying to make you feel like shit, but it’s just a little weird to be doing this with you, when just last year Bryce was beating the shit out of me, and you were there, watching him.”

“You know I tried to stop him, right?” Justin sighs. “Every time he did shit like that, I talked to him about it, and I told him one day his luck would run out, and… he will get into trouble, you know? One day some kid is going to fight back, and who knows what they’ll do to him?”

“Well, maybe you should have tried harder,” Clay says, and as soon as the words have left his mouth, he shakes his head. “I’m sorry, man, I didn’t mean that.”

“No, you’re right. All of us should have done something. But I had nothing, Clay. His family gave me clothes to wear, they fed me… he was the only one who had my back. So yeah, I tried to stop him, but I didn’t do everything I could, because look at what happened when I stood up to him in front of other people. He kicked me out, knowing that I would end up on the street.”

“Why did his parents have to take care of you? Where were your parents?”

“I told you, my mom’s a fucking junkie. You think she could look after a kid? She didn’t notice half of the shit that was going on at that fucking house,” Justin spits out, quickly realizing he has said too much. But when Clay reaches out and places a hand on his knee, he tells himself that Clay is not the same as Bryce. Clay won’t kick his head in if he tells him something he doesn’t want to hear.

“What shit?” Clay asks, noticing something in Justin’s eyes that scares him. “Did something happen?”

“Yeah.” Justin nods. “But it doesn’t matter now, does it?”

“It looks like it does. You can tell me.”

“It’s just…,” Justin begins, but then he sighs. “One of my mom’s boyfriends, he wasn’t a good guy.”

“Did he hit you?”

“No. I wish he had.”

“Oh…,” Clay says, but then a thought dawns on him that makes him feel sick to his stomach. “Did he… I don’t want to ask, but…”

“He touched me, okay? When my mom was drugged out of her mind, he would come to my room, and he would… you know, do stuff to me,” Justin admits, keeping his eyes on Clay’s hand on his knee, too nervous to look up and face him. “It’s fucked up.”

“Yeah, it is. But you’re not fucked up, Justin. You know that, right? What that guy did to you, that wasn’t your fault. You were a kid.”

“I know,” Justin mumbles. “I feel fucked up though.”

“Well, you’re not. And I don’t know how long my parents will let you stay with us, but we’ll figure something out, okay? I won’t let you go back to that house.”

“He’s not living with us anymore. He left years ago.” Justin shrugs. “I never told my mom, but I think she knows. I think it’s why she hates me.”

“I’m sure your mom doesn’t hate you.”

“She does, Clay. Her boyfriend tried to choke me, and she stood there and watched. What does that say, huh?”

Clay doesn’t know what to say, because he had no idea about any of this, and it’s a lot to take in. But what he does know, is that he will do whatever it takes to protect Justin.

* * *

Zach is just driving around after training, trying to clear his mind before he heads off home, when he notices Alex walking down the street. He knows he should ignore him and head home, but there’s something about the look on Alex’s face that worries him. So he parks his car, before catching up with him.

“Oh, hey. What are you doing here?”

“I could ask you the same.”

“I was supposed to meet Jess, but she had to cancel,” Alex explains. “So I’m just going home.”

“Want me to give you a ride?” Zach asks, but when he sees the guilty look on Alex’s face, he sighs. “Look, man, I don’t want things to be like this between us. Can we at least try to go back to being friends?”

“I don’t think we were ever really friends, Zach,” Alex scoffs, ready to walk on home. But Zach grabs his arm, so he turns back around, a frustrated look on his face. “I don’t want to keep doing this.”

“Me neither. But I hate this, okay? I want to be able to just hang out and…”

“I’m with Jess.”

“I know that, and I’m not trying to fuck that up. I just want to be friends, okay?” Zach says, his hand still around Alex’s arm. “At least let me buy you a drink.”

“Seriously?”

“A coffee at Monet’s. Not…,” Zach laughs, shaking his head when he sees the teasing smile on Alex’s face.

“Yeah, okay. But just as friends, okay?”

“So we _are_ friends, then?” Zach grins, but Alex doesn’t take the bait. “Relax, I’m pretty sure I can manage to keep my hands to myself.”

* * *

“I’m sorry I fucked up our date last night,” Justin whispers, as he sits up so he can look at Clay. “I shouldn’t have told you that stuff.”

“I’m glad you told me. I’m really sorry that happened to you.”

“Yeah, well…”

“I meant what I said, Justin. We’ll figure something out, okay? You’re not going back there. And as to having fucked up our date… it really wasn’t so bad.”

“Fucking hell, Jensen. How bad have your other dates been, if you don’t consider that a bad date?” Justin laughs.

“No, I know it wasn’t great. But I’m just saying… you know… I like hanging out with you.”

“Such a romantic.”

“Fuck you, Justin,” Clay spits out, but when he sees the grin on Justin’s face, he can’t stop the smile from forming on his face. “What I’m trying to say is, I would like to do it again some time.”

“So if I were to kiss you right now…?”

“I mean, I wouldn’t be complaining,” Clay laughs, but when the door opens, and his mother comes in, he can feel himself blushing, because how much has she heard? “Mom!”

“Good morning. You boys were out late last night? Did you have fun?”

“We had a great time, Mrs. Jensen,” Justin says, flashing a big smile.

“I’m glad. You should do it again some time then.”

“Oh, we definitely will.”

* * *

As the girls, Alex and Zach were about to head to Monet’s after school, they had run into Clay and Justin, so they had invited them to come along. But as soon as they have sat down, Alex and Zach ordering their drinks, Clay looks over to them, a worried look on his face.

“Are you guys really okay with the two of them…?”

“What?” Hannah laughs. “Buying coffee?”

“You know what I mean,” Clay says, keeping his voice down so Alex and Zach won’t overhear. “Aren’t you worried something is going on between them?”

“I’m pretty sure they’re not about to jump each other in front of us,” Jessica laughs, rolling her eyes. “Nothing is going on, Clay. Relax.”

“Didn’t they make out?”

“It was one kiss,” Justin laughs, the worried look on Clay’s face only making him want to kiss him, because he finds him adorable. A little irritating, seeing how it’s none of his business. But adorable nonetheless. “It’s not like they were hooking up or something.”

“That doesn’t bother you?” Clay asks, but Jessica just shrugs, so he looks over to Hannah, who has an uncomfortable look on her face. “Are _you_ okay with them hanging out together?”

“For fuck’s sake, Clay. They’re getting us a coffee,” Jessica spits out. “Let it go, okay?”

“But what if…”

“It was a fucking kiss,” Justin snaps, and they all look at him, but then he just laughs, shaking his head to himself. “Jesus.”

“Yeah, exactly. They cheated.”

“They… are you fucking kidding me?” Justin laughs. “They didn’t cheat, Clay. Seriously, what the fuck is wrong with you?”

“Yeah, they did. What, you don’t think kissing someone else is considered cheating?” Clay asks, all of the sudden not caring anymore whether something _is_ going on between Alex and Zach or not. Right now he cares far more about the fact that his boyfriend doesn’t seem the least bit worried about what has happened.

“No, I don’t.”

“So I could just go out there and make out with someone else? You wouldn’t care?”

“Yes, I’d fucking care. But I’m not going to dump your ass because of a kiss, am I?”

“Wait, does that mean you’re now officially dating?” Hannah asks, an excited look on her face. “When did this happen?”

“No, we’re not…”

While Clay is blushing, and trying to come up with something to say, they all see Justin behind him, mouthing a ‘yes’, before rolling his eyes.

Alex and Zach join their friends, clueless to what they have walked in on, but when they sense the uncomfortable atmosphere, they share a guilty, knowing look. Because their friends all keep quiet, and that can only mean one thing, and that is that their friends had been talking about them.

“Maybe I should just go home,” Zach says, but Hannah grabs his wrist, and she pulls him into the seat next to her, a reassuring smile on her face. “Are you sure you don’t mind me being here?”

“I’m sure. We’re still friends, right?”

“Yeah, of course, but…”

“Clay was just being a dick.” Justin rolls his eyes, Clay glaring at him. “What? It’s none of your fucking business.”

“I was just saying…”

“We all heard you, Clay,” Jessica sighs. “Let it go, okay?”

“Are you okay?” Alex whispers, as he grabs his girlfriend’s hand. He knows that this is all his fault, and he feels horrible about her having to put up with this. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine. He’s an idiot.”

“No shit,” Alex whispers, a smile forming on Jessica’s face, and just seeing her smile again makes him feel a little better.

“So, going back to you and Justin. When did this happen?” Hannah asks, changing the subject, the atmosphere growing lighter, as Justin starts teasing Clay about how nervous he had been for their date. But when Alex looks up, he looks straight into Zach’s eyes, and he can see the guilty look on his face. Because last night, after Zach had dropped him off home after they had had a coffee, there had been a moment where they had almost kissed. Alex had quickly gotten out of the car and said his goodbyes, but it’s obvious that the moment hasn’t been forgotten about yet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tumblr : https://samunderthelights.tumblr.com/


	8. Chapter 8

Hannah is just discussing her outfit for tonight’s party with Jessica, when Zach comes up to them, a guilty look on his face. At first they don’t even notice, and they seem to be so excited about the party, that he doesn’t want to interrupt. But he knows he will have to tell them what has just happened, so he clears his throat, the girls finally looking up at him.

“We were just… wait, what’s wrong?” Hannah asks. “You’re still coming tonight, aren’t you?”

“Yeah, but me and Justin were talking about your party, and Bryce overheard us, so…”

“Please tell me they’re not coming.”

“We told them not to. But you know what they’re like.”

“I don’t want those assholes to be there. I never liked them, and I thought that now you finally managed to separate yourself from them, I wouldn’t have to put up with them again.”

“Yeah, or you know, it’d be really fucked up for Alex and Clay if those guys are there, seeing as they are the ones who got bullied by them.” Jessica rolls her eyes.

“Excuse me? Didn’t you invite them to your party too?”

“It was your boyfriend who invited them, Hannah,” Jessica snaps, Hannah all ready to defend herself and fight her best friend on this.

“Look, if they show up, me and Justin will take care of it, okay? But I just wanted to give you a heads up,” Zach quickly says, the girls still glaring at each other. “We’ll make sure they won’t cause any trouble.”

“Maybe you shouldn’t have told them about it in the first place, huh?” Hannah snaps, but Zach just sighs, not willing to argue with her.

“I just wanted to warn you, but I have to get to class now. So I’ll see you later,” he says, before walking off.

“What the fuck is going on with you?” Jessica asks. “I know this isn’t just about them accidentally telling those guys, because you know they didn’t mean to.”

“It’s Bryce,” Hannah admits. “He found out me and Zach broke up, so he’s been texting me.”

“For real? What did you tell him?”

“I told him to fuck off,” Hannah says, as she gets her phone out of her pocket. “So he sent me this.”

“Oh, shit,” Jessica laughs, when she looks down at the photo of Bryce, half-naked, dick in hand. “Did you tell someone about this?”

“Just you.”

“You should tell a teacher. This is seriously fucked up.”

“I’ve just been trying to avoid him, but I can’t do that if he shows up at my house, can I?” Hannah sighs. “I don’t want this, Jess. I hate the guy.”

“I really think you should tell someone,” Jessica says, a worried look on her face, but Hannah tries to shrug it off, as she forces a smile onto her face. “Hannah…”

“I’m sure he’ll get the hint if I don’t respond to it.”

“And if he doesn’t?”

“Then I’ll send Zach after him to kick his ass?” Hannah laughs, trying to hide how much his texts and the photo are bothering her. “It’ll be fine, Jess.”

* * *

“Wow, Jensen, look at you,” Justin laughs, when Clay pours himself a drink, before hesitantly taking a sip. “I didn’t realize I was going out with a bad boy!”

“Fuck off, Justin!”

“He always takes the bait, doesn’t he?” Hannah laughs, the grin on Justin’s face only growing bigger as they both watch Clay take another careful sip. “God, he’s adorable.”

“You should see him in the morning.”

“Yeah, I really don’t want to know about that.”

“When he has just woken up,” Justin laughs. “Not…”

Before Justin can finish his sentence, the jocks come storming into the house, already loud and rowdy, and they push Clay away from the drinks table, completely taking over the party within seconds of coming in.

“I’ll try and talk to Bryce,” Justin sighs. “I’m really sorry about this.”

“Just ask him to leave, please,” Hannah says, and Justin gets up, but before he can even get to Bryce, Zach has already gone up to them, and although Justin can’t hear what he is telling them, he can see the mocking grin on Bryce’s face, and it makes him feel sick to his stomach.

“Just go, Bryce. Nobody wants you here,” Justin spits out when he reaches them. “Go home.”

“Did Hannah say she doesn’t want me here?”

“Yes, she fucking did. No one likes you, so just fuck off,” Justin says, but when Monty slams him into the wall, he gasps for air, not even from the pain, or because he won’t be able to take him on, but simply because he hadn’t seen it coming.

“We’re not going anywhere. Do you hear me?” Monty grits through his teeth, looking more than ready for a fight.

Hannah sees it happening, so she jumps up, not wanting her friends to get into trouble just because she doesn’t want those guys to be there.

“Look, it’s fine,” she quickly says. “Just back off, okay?”

“Looks like Hannah doesn’t want me to go home after all.” Bryce grins, before walking off, Monty slamming Justin’s head into the wall one more time, before following him.

“I’m so sorry,” Hannah says. “Just let them stay, okay? It’s not worth the trouble.”

“Are you sure?” Zach asks, as he checks out the back of Justin’s head to see if he’s bleeding. “We’ll get them out if you want us to.”

“No, just… just let it go.”

* * *

Bryce and his friends hadn’t caused any further trouble, so the others had tried their best to ignore them and to act like they weren’t there at all. But when Justin gives Clay a kiss, Bryce starts applauding, his friends laughing and whistling, and they don’t even need to look to know that this is aimed towards them.

“Just ignore them,” Clay says, a tight grip on Justin’s wrist to stop him from going over there to fight them. “They’re not worth it.”

“Seriously? What the fuck is wrong with you?” Jessica yells at them, so caught up in her anger, that she doesn’t even notice the look on Alex’s face. Zach notices though, and he reaches out to put a hand on his back, but even though it’s just a small gesture to try and get him to calm down, Bryce notices it, and it only makes the grin on his face grow bigger.

“No fucking way,” he laughs. “So you _were_ fucking him?”

Alex has been trying to keep his anger to himself ever since Bryce and his friends had started bullying him, and so far he had managed to not explode and mess things up. But it’s the arrogant grin on Bryce’s face right now, that makes his blood boil, and even though he is trying to steady his breath, he can feel something inside of himself bubbling up to the service, ready to burst out of him.

“Seriously, man? Alex Standall?” Bryce laughs. “I knew your standards weren’t exactly high, seeing as you went out with Hannah, but…”

“Fuck you, Bryce!” Zach spits out, just about ready to fight him himself. But before he can get up, Alex has already jumped up, and within a split-second, he had closed the distance between himself and Bryce.

“I’m going to kill you,” he whispers, and although the words scare him, they don’t stop him from punching the jock in the face, over and over again.

Any other day Bryce would have been able to take Alex on, but he has been drinking, and the attack is taking him by surprise, so before he knows it, he is down on his back on the floor, Alex kneeling down on him, his hands wrapped tightly around his throat.

It isn’t until Zach pulls him off, that it truly hits Alex just what he has done, what he could have done.

“You take him outside,” Justin quickly says, as he kneels down beside Bryce. “I’ll take care of him.”

“What? No. Let him take care of himself,” Clay says. “You saw what he did, right?”

“He needs help, Clay.”

“Not from you!”

“What? You want me to call an ambulance? Get Alex in trouble? Huh?” Justin asks, and it takes a moment, but then Clay realizes that he isn’t doing this for Bryce at all, but for his friends. So he helps him carry Bryce into the other room, where they lay him down on the sofa.

“You probably need this,” Hannah says, when she comes into the room, and she hands them the first aid kit. “He’s going to be okay, right?”

“Let’s hope not,” Clay mumbles, but when Justin glares at him, he just rolls his eyes.

“He’ll be fine. Where are the other guys?”

“Most have left, but Monty is hanging around to see how he’s doing.”

“Do you think they’ll go to the police?” Clay asks, a worried look on his face.

“I doubt it,” Bryce sighs, even though the question wasn’t aimed towards him. “I won’t either.”

“Are we supposed to be grateful?” Justin asks. “Because I warned you about this, didn’t I? If you go around fucking with people, they will fight back, Bryce.”

“I know,” Bryce says, and for a moment, he almost looks like a human being, not like the monster he is always portraying himself to be. “And thanks for looking after me.”

“I’m doing this for Alex. Not for you.”

“Still… thanks,” Bryce says, but when he reaches out to shake Justin’s hand, Justin just ignores it. “I don’t care that you’re gay, Justin.”

“I don’t even care anymore, Bryce. Hate me, or don’t. I don’t fucking care.”

“I could never hate you.”

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Clay spits out. “You kicked him out. He could be out on the street because of you.”

“He isn’t though, is he?”

“Don’t even bother.” Justin shrugs. “This is what he does. He’ll act nice for a day or two, then next time you see him, he’s back to calling you a fucking faggot.”

“I never…”

“You never called me a faggot?” Justin asks, a guilty look on Bryce’s face. “You’re pathetic, you know that?”

* * *

“How is Alex?” Hannah asks, when she comes out of the room, and she finds Jessica standing in the doorway, staring out into the yard. But when she sees the two teenagers sitting there, Zach with his arms wrapped around the other young man, she sighs. “I’m sorry, Jess.”

“I really hoped I was wrong,” Jessica admits, but then she looks back at her best friend, a small smile on her face. “But just look at them. I can’t allow myself to stand in the way of that, can I?”

“So what are you going to do? Do you think he’ll break up with you after this?”

“I doubt it. But I need to break up with him.”

“Yeah.”

“And tell him to be honest to himself about his feelings for Zach,” Jessica adds. “Because I’m pretty sure he won’t even let himself go there in his mind.”

“I almost feel sorry for him,” Hannah says, “but he did kiss my boyfriend.”

“Hannah!”

“What?” Hannah laughs. “He did.”

“It’s not all about you, you know?”

* * *

“Are you okay?” Zach asks, his arms still wrapped tightly around Alex, scared that if he lets go, he will somehow break.

“No. I threatened to kill him, Zach. If you hadn’t pulled me off…”

“But you didn’t. You probably just gave him a black eye, some bruises… he’ll be fine.”

“I know, but I wanted to hurt him,” Alex admits. “Really hurt him.”

“Because of what he did to you, Alex. It’s not like you went out and jumped some random guy. He has been calling you names for so long… it was bound to come back to him one day, right?”

Alex is still shivering, still scared of the thoughts he had had, but when Zach pulls him closer, he lays his head down against his chest, and he closes his eyes.

“I think I should talk to Jess,” he admits, “About this.”

“About how angry you were?”

“About you and me,” Alex sighs. “About the fact that I think I am starting to fall in love with you.”

A long silence follows, until he frees himself from Zach’s grip, a nervous look on his face.

“Say something? Please?”

“What do you want me to say?”

“I don’t know. That I’m an asshole for cheating on my girlfriend, that…”

“You didn’t cheat,” Zach quickly says. “Nothing happened. Nothing has to happen, not if you still want to be with Jess. I’ll keep my distance, and this whole thing will be like it never even happened.”

“Yeah, right,” Alex scoffs. “Did you hear what I just said? I think I’m in love with you, Zach.”

“You know I feel the same way about you, but I can’t tell you what to do.”

Alex looks up, only to find Jessica and Hannah standing in the doorway, and even though he flashes a reassuring smile to tell them he’s okay, there is something about the look on his girlfriend’s face that tells him that he won’t have to tell her anything. She already knows.


	9. Chapter 9

“We should probably talk about it, right?” Jessica says, before Alex has even gotten a chance to greet her at school the next morning. “About what happened last night.”

“I’m so sorry, Jess. I don’t know why I did it, or…”

“Yeah, you do. We all know why you beat the shit out of Bryce,” Jessica chuckles uncomfortably. “But that’s not what I’m talking about.”

“Right.”

“I’m talking about you and Zach.”

Alex just nods, knowing fully well that there is no point in denying it, and Jessica is grateful to not have to go through the same conversation again. So she wraps her arms around him, and she gives him a big hug.

“Go for it, okay? I know he feels the same way about you, and me and Hannah…”

“I’m so sorry.”

“It’s fine,” Jessica says, a big smile on her face when she lets go of him. “Really. You and Zach… it just makes sense.”

“It does?” Alex asks, “It doesn’t make sense to me.”

“Why not?”

“Because he’s friends with the assholes who…”

“No, he’s not.” Jessica rolls her eyes. “Not really. Not anymore, I think.”

“Right,” Alex chuckles. “I should hate him. You get that, right?”

“Whatever. Are you seriously going to give up on the guy, just because he hung out with them? Because if you do…”

“Do what?” Hannah asks, when she pops up behind them. “Tell me.”

“Can you please tell him that he’s an idiot?”

“You’re an idiot,” Hannah says, a big grin forming on her face. “Let me guess, this is about Zach?”

“I really don’t want to talk about this with you two,” Alex mumbles, wishing the ground would open up and swallow him whole.

“What? Because we had sex?” Jessica laughs. “Or because Hannah and Zach…”

“Both?” Alex laughs uncomfortably. “This is really weird.”

“I would rather Zach goes out with you than with some girl.” Hannah shrugs. “I would probably just want to scratch her eyes out.”

“Hannah!”

“Yeah, that’s just scary,” Alex admits. “If I find a dead rat in my locker one day, at least I’ll know who put it there.”

“It was a joke,” Hannah laughs, but when Jessica and Alex just stare at her, the grin on her face grows bigger. “It was!”

“Yeah…,” Jessica laughs, before sharing a knowing look with Alex. “I’m sure it was.”

* * *

“Do you think Bryce will talk?” Alex asks, when Clay and Justin join them at their table for lunch. “About what I did to him?”

“He won’t,” Justin sighs. “Because he knows what shit we’ve got on him, so he wouldn’t risk it.”

“Do we?” Alex asks, a confused look on his face. “Have shit on him? I mean, I’m pretty sure the cops don’t really give a shit about him calling people names.”

“Oh, don’t worry.” Justin grins. “I have enough on him to make sure he keeps quiet.”

“We both do,” Zach reassures him, and he almost reaches out to put a hand on Alex’s, but as far as he is aware, Alex and Jessica are still dating, so he keeps his hands to himself, and he quickly looks down at his drink.

But when they hear Bryce and his friends come into the cafeteria, laughing loudly, they all look up, all expecting something to happen. But the guys sit down at a table, Bryce showing them all something on his phone.

“He is such an asshole,” Jessica spits out. “Did you know he sent…,” she begins, but when Hannah kicks her underneath the table, she swallows back the rest of her words.

“What did he do?”

“It doesn’t matter. He’s just an asshole.” Jessica shrugs, but she can feel Alex’s eyes burning a hole into her. She ignores it though, because as much as she wants them all to know just what he did to Hannah, she knows it isn’t her place to tell them.

“Are you okay, dude?” Justin asks, turning his attention to Alex. “You were pretty angry last night.”

“I’m fine.”

“I thought you were going to kill him,” Clay admits, but no one is sure if he is kidding or not, and it only makes them more uncomfortable. “The way you were…”

“Well, I didn’t, okay? Look at him, he’s fine,” Alex spits out. “Fucking asshole.”

“Don’t let him get to you. He’s not worth it.”

“That’s easy for you to say, he’s your friend.”

“You saw what he did last night, right?” Justin asks, raising an eyebrow. “He is not my friend, Alex. Not anymore.”

“Whatever.”

“Don’t let those guys get to you.”

“I’m just sick of not being able to go to my locker without Monty trying to kick my head in, or…”

“Dude, Monty is a fucking idiot,” Justin laughs. “He is just trying to impress Bryce.”

“That doesn’t make it hurt any less,” Alex mumbles, embarrassed to have to admit that their actions hurt him, but what is the point in lying? It’s not like he can pretend that it doesn’t bother him, not after they have all seen how he had reacted to Bryce’s mocking last night.

“Whatever Monty says, that shit has nothing to do with you,” Justin explains. “That is all about him being really fucking messed up.”

“What do you mean?” Clay asks, still remembering every single name Bryce and his friends, but especially Monty had called him.

“You know Monty is gay, right?” Justin asks, but when they all stare at him, gob smacked, he can’t help but laugh. “I thought you knew.”

“What the fuck are you talking about?” Jessica asks. “Monty isn’t gay. He is the most homophobic son of a…”

“We were at this party one time,” Justin explains, keeping his voice down, “and all of the sudden he had his dick out, and he grabbed me by the back of my head and he tried to push me to…”

“He wanted you to suck his dick?” Clay blurts out, so loudly that it makes the girls at the table next to them look up.

“He did,” Justin laughs. “But I just shoved him off, because, you know, it’s Monty.”

“That doesn’t mean he’s gay.” Hannah shrugs. “Maybe he was just drunk? Maybe he thought you were someone else?”

“That’s what I figured. So I didn’t mention it again. But then a few months later we were hanging out at Bryce’s, and when I was getting changed after going for a swim, he…”

“Please tell me you did not let Monty suck your dick,” Clay groans, burying his face in his hands. “That is just… oh god. That is disgusting.”

“What? Jealous he got there first?” Justin laughs, but when Clay goes a bright shade of red, he just puts an arm around his shoulder, still laughing. “Relax, I stopped him, okay? Trust me, I am not interested in Monty.”

“Wait, so… Monty is into you?” Jessica asks, before looking over to the jocks sitting at their table. “Does Bryce know?”

“Monty is not into me. Monty is into sucking dick,” Justin chuckles, his arm still wrapped tightly around Clay, who can’t stop blushing. “And yeah, Bryce definitely knows.”

“Holy shit,” Zach says, and seeing as he has been quiet all along, they look at him, not sure if he only just realized what Justin has told them, or if they are missing something. “Monty is sucking Bryce’s dick?”

Justin just shrugs, the grin on his face growing so big, that it looks like it’s about to take over his face.

“Wait, so he gave you shit for being gay, but he lets a guy suck his dick?” Alex asks. “Why doesn’t he have a problem with Monty being gay?”

“You just answered your own question, didn’t you?” Hannah laughs. “Sounds like Monty is doing him a favor, and he doesn’t mind his friends being gay, as long as he gets something out of it.”

“That’s not… yeah, I don’t think that’s the reason,” Justin admits. “I wanted to be out, Monty is never going to come out. You’ve seen him, the way he goes around calling every guy a faggot? It’s just so people won’t find out who he is.”

“That guy is seriously messed up.”

“No shit.”

* * *

“Alex, there’s someone here to see you!” Mrs. Standall yells up the stairs, just as Alex is about to sit down to do his homework. He can’t imagine who would come and see him, so a feeling of dread washes over him, because what if Bryce has gone to the police? What if he is about to get arrested? What would his father say?

But when he gets downstairs, Zach is waiting for him in the living room, a big smile on his face as Carolyn is showing him a picture of Alex from when he was still a toddler. It makes him cringe, and for a split-second it makes him wish he had found the police here to arrest him instead.

“I’ll leave you to it,” Carolyn says, when she notices her son, and after flashing Zach another smile, she leaves the room.

“What are you doing here?”

“I thought maybe we could go for a walk or something?”

“Why?”

“Why?” Zach chuckles. “Because we’re friends?”

“I broke up with Jess,” Alex blurts out, even if only to see Zach’s reaction. “Or I think she broke up with me.”

“Are you okay?”

“I suppose it’s for the best, right?” Alex shrugs, but when he sees the guilty look on Zach’s face, he sighs. “It wasn’t your fault. It wouldn’t have worked between us anyway.”

“You don’t know that. If I had stayed away…”

Alex hears his mother’s footsteps in the kitchen, so he lowers his voice, not ready for his mother to know what is going on between him and Zach just yet.

“We’re about to have dinner, so…”

“Right. I should go,” Zach quickly says, regretting coming here in the first place. But when he sees a small smile forming on the other teenager’s face, it gives him the smallest bit of hope.

“Or you could stay? I’m sure my parents won’t mind,” Alex suggests. “We can go for a walk after dinner?”

“Are you sure?”

“Just don’t mention the ehm…”

“Kissing you?” Zach asks, but when Alex lets out a chuckle, he quickly realizes that that is not what he was talking about. “Sorry, I just…”

“I meant the party. Bryce.”

“I won’t tell them anything.”

“Good.”

They go into the kitchen, and without hesitation, Carolyn sets another place for Zach. They all sit down, but Alex can see his father staring Zach down, not entirely sure why he is here, seeing as he has never heard Alex mentioning them being friends before.

“So, Zach… you are on the team, aren’t you?” Bill begins, but the tone of his voice makes it feel like he is trying to interrogate him rather than get to know him.

“Yes, sir.”

“You are friends with Bryce Walker, Montgomery de la Cruz…?”

“No, they are not my friends, sir,” Zach answers nervously. “We are on the team together, but I’m not friends with them. They are not really my kind of people.”

“I see.” Bill nods, Zach getting more and more nervous at the way he is trying to stare him down.

“Let it go, dad.” Alex rolls his eyes.

“So, how is Jessica?” Carolyn tries, hoping a change of topic will lighten the atmosphere. “You should invite her for dinner again sometime.”

“We broke up.”

“Oh…”

“That’s a shame,” Bill says. “I liked her.”

“Yeah, me too,” Alex says. “But I guess we weren’t meant to be.” He shrugs, as he pushes around the food on his plate.

“I’m sorry, Alex,” Carolyn says, flashing a comforting smile. She had been trying her best to make things more comfortable, but when the two teenagers catch each other’s eye, before quickly looking down at their plates, the guilt written all over their faces, it’s obvious that there is more to the story. Carolyn knows not to bring it up though, so she starts telling them about her day, hoping that her husband will let it go too.

* * *

“Your mom knows,” Zach says, as soon as he and Alex step out of the house. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have come over.”

“She was going to find out sooner or later, right?” Alex shrugs, but when there is no reply, he looks up, only to find a big grin on Zach’s face. “What?”

“Does that mean that you want to go out with me?”

“Sure. We already made out, so…,” Alex says, trying to keep a straight face, but when he sees the blush on Zach’s face, he can’t help but laugh. “Just don’t tell Justin, okay? Because he will tell Clay, and if Clay knows…”

“Hannah and Jess know.” Zach nods. “I won’t tell him.”

“Not until we know what _this_ is exactly. I don’t want them to get involved. You know what they are like.”

“If they find out where we’re going, they’ll probably follow and try and spy on us, you mean?” Zach laughs. “Yeah. Let’s keep it quiet for now.”

They walk on, both a little nervous, now with the promise of an upcoming date in the air. But when they sit down on a park bench, Zach looks up, a confused look on his face.

“Why does your dad hate me?”

“He doesn’t hate you,” Alex chuckles. “It’s just that he knows you hang out with Bryce and Monty.”

“Right. How?”

“You know what he does for a living, right?”

“Should I be worried?”

“Depends.” Alex shrugs, trying to stop the smile from forming on his face, but failing miserably. “He’s pretty protective over us, so…”

“So if I mess this up…?”

“He’s got a gun.” Alex states, so matter-of-factly, that Zach swallows hard, before nodding nervously. “Shit, I’m just kidding,” Alex laughs, almost feeling sorry for making a joke out of it. “You’ll be fine.”


	10. Chapter 10

Hannah has just arrived at school when her phone buzzes in her pocket again. She has been trying to ignore it all morning, but when she sees Bryce standing by his locker, phone in hand, a big, cocky grin on his face, she knows that there is no point in ignoring his texts. So she takes her phone out of her pocket, and she sends him yet another text, telling him to leave her alone.

“What’s wrong?” Clay asks, when Hannah almost bumps into him and Justin. “I have seen that look before, and…”

“Nothing. Why can’t anyone just leave me the fuck alone?” Hannah spits out, her phone buzzing in her hand again. She is about to turn around, but when Justin puts a hand on her arm, a worried look on his face, she sighs, tears beginning to well up in her eyes.

“What’s going on? Is this about Zach?”

“No. It’s…,” she begins, but she can’t even say the words, her throat closing up when she remembers the dozen of pictures Bryce has sent her since the party the other week.

She hands Clay her phone, but as soon as he and Justin start scrolling through Bryce’s messages, through the pictures, the threats of him going to the police about Alex if she doesn’t send him a nude in return, Hannah wonders if she should have kept it to herself. Because they are only words, right? Only pictures. It’s not like he has actually hurt her.

Justin can feel himself growing angrier with every text he sees though, and when he looks up, only to find Bryce watching them with a big grin on his face, he snaps. He storms up to him, and without saying a word, he slams him into his locker. He punches him in the face, the blood immediately beginning to pour from his lip.

Clay watches it happen, but it happens in only a matter of seconds, and before he realizes, the two teenagers are on the floor, rolling around trying to hurt each other.

He can see Monty running over to them, more than likely to help Bryce, and even though he is far from the fighting type, the thought of Justin being beaten by the two of them, it makes Clay run over to them, and place himself in between the two teenagers on the floor and Monty.

“Get out of the fucking way, fag!”

“No,” Clay says, his heart beating so fast, that he can’t help but wonder if he is about to pass out. But when Monty pushes him, his fighting spirit takes over, and within seconds, he finds himself on the floor too, punching and kicking Monty, feeling more than just a little ridiculous. He knows Monty can and _will_ beat him, but anything to buy Justin more time to beat Bryce.

But there is no beating anyone, because the headmaster’s voice thunders through the hallway, and within seconds, the four of them are in his office, trying to explain why they were fighting.

* * *

“What the hell is wrong with you?” Lainie spits out, as soon as she, Clay and Justin have left the headmaster’s office. “Fighting? Seriously?”

“Bryce was harassing Hannah!”

“I don’t care, Clay. You could have reported it, or you could have talked to him about it. He…”

“Talked to him?” Clay scoffs. “Are you kidding me? Are you even listening? He is harassing her, mom!”

“I am sorry, Mrs. Jensen. I started it,” Justin says, and Lainie turns around, a tired look on her face. “I’m sorry.”

“I know you were trying to look out for your friend, but fighting other kids is not the solution. We…,” Lainie begins, but when Monty comes into the hallway, his eye swollen, but a big smirk on his face, she keeps quiet.

“Oh, hello, Mrs. Jensen. Did they tell you?” he asks, but no one is quite sure what to say. “That they are fucking?”

“You shut the fuck up, you…,” Clay spits out, ready for another fight, but Justin holds him back.

“Let’s go home.”

“Mom…”

“We’ll talk about it later.”

* * *

“What happened?” Alex asks, when he joins his friends for lunch. “I heard Clay and Justin got into a fight with Bryce and Monty?”

“It was my fault,” Hannah says, keeping her voice down. “Bryce has been texting me ever since me and Zach broke up.”

“Texting you? As in…?” Zach asks, but deep down he already knows the answer. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because I figured he would stop? I told him to stop, but he started threatening to go to the police about Alex, so….”

“Did you ever send him anything?” Zach asks, a feeling of dread washing over him, having seen enough pictures of girls going around to know exactly what Bryce would do with a picture of Hannah.

“No! I told him to stop.”

“You have to tell someone,” Jessica says. “I don’t mean Clay or Justin. But someone at school, or the police even.”

“Oh, yeah, let me go talk to the police. Sorry to bother you, but a guy from school showed me his dick. Can you please arrest him?” Hannah scoffs. “I just feel bad that Clay and Justin got in trouble for trying to stick up for me.”

“If Bryce texts you again…,” Zach begins, but Alex cuts him off.

“No, you are not going to fight him too. What good is that going to do? Do you think that’ll stop him? Jess is right. Hannah has to tell someone.”

“I’m sure he’ll stop when he gets bored.” Hannah shrugs, trying to hide how much all of this is getting to her.

“And what if he doesn’t?”

“He will.”

* * *

“Your mom told me what happened at school today,” Matt says, an uncomfortable look on his face as the two teenagers sit down at the kitchen table for the conversation they have been dreading all day. “I can’t say I am happy about the two of you fighting, but…”

“No buts. You can’t go around fighting people.”

“But I’m proud of you for sticking up for Hannah,” Matt continues, ignoring his wife glaring at him. “I just wish you had gone about it in a different way. You could have come talk to us, or…”

“Next time we well,” Clay quickly says. “Now can we go?”

“Your mom also told me that a boy from your school said…”

“He is an idiot,” Clay says, ready to say anything to make his parents believe that Monty was lying. But when he sees the hurt look on Justin’s face, he sighs.

“So you and Justin are just friends?” Lainie asks, looking more than just a little uncomfortable to have to ask.

“No,” Clay mumbles. “Justin is ehm… he’s my boyfriend,” he admits, and although it makes his heart skip a beat, just seeing the smile forming on Justin’s face is enough to reassure him that he has just done the right thing.

“Well… I am obviously happy for you,” Lainie says, sharing an uncomfortable look with her husband. “But you know that this means that you won’t be able to share a room anymore, don’t you?”

“Why?” Clay blurts out. “You were alright with us sharing before.”

“That was before we knew you were more than friends, Clay.”

“So? It’s not like we’re up there, having sex!”

Justin has to cover his mouth with his hand to keep himself from laughing, but when he sees Matt struggling to keep his laughter in too, he can’t help himself.

“That is ehm… good to know,” Lainie sighs. “But how are we… Matt?”

“I’m sorry, but come on, if they want to have sex, they will find a way. So why change things now?”

“We’re not…!”

“I think they got that,” Justin laughs. “But I understand if you want me to leave.”

“We don’t want you to leave. We’re just going to have to come up with some new rules.”

“Of course.” Justin nods, Clay’s face turning an even darker shade of red. “Whatever you say, Mr. and Mrs. Jensen.”

The boys go up to their room, and crash down on Clay’s bed, Clay still blushing. But when Justin kisses him, before snuggling up to him, he can feel some of the embarrassment leaving him, it now truly hitting him what has just happened.

“Shit.”

“What?” Justin laughs. “You just realized you told your parents we are _definitely not_ having sex?”

“I just told them I have a boyfriend.”

“Yeah. Are you okay?”

“I think so. They didn’t really seem to care, did they?”

“Why would they?” Justin laughs. “What were you expecting?”

“I don’t know. Something. This was just… nothing.”

“Disappointed?”

“Relieved?” Clay says, a shy smile forming on his lips when Justin looks up at him before kissing him again. “I wouldn’t have let them send you away, by the way.”

“Sure.”

“Justin! I am not going to let them send you back there, okay? I promise.”

* * *

“Here again?” Bill asks, when he is about to get into his car, and he sees Zach standing by his own car. “Are you waiting for Alex?”

“Yeah, I said I’d pick him up for school.”

“You and Alex have been spending a lot of time together lately, huh?”

“We hang out, yeah.” Zach nods, Bill still making him feel like he is being interrogated, every time he speaks to him. “We play video games and stuff.”

“And stuff. Drugs?”

“No, sir!”

“So if I were to check your car right now, I wouldn’t find any drugs in there?” Bill asks, trying to keep a straight face. “Have you ever done any drugs, Zach?”

“I ehm… ehm… well, there was…”

“Dad, seriously?” Alex rolls his eyes, when he comes out of the house, and he walks past his father to join Zach. “Leave him alone.”

The smile forms on Bill’s face, and he gives a little wave, before getting into his car and driving off.

“I see where you get it from!”

“He always does this.” Alex rolls his eyes again. “He thinks it’s funny. I guess.”

“Hilarious.”

Alex can’t help but laugh, but when they get into the car, and Zach leans in to kiss him, he backs away from him.

“Sorry, I thought…”

“We should probably go on an actual date first before we do that.”

“Right. I’ve been thinking about it. Maybe we can go see a movie?” Zach suggests, but when Alex just stares at him, raising an eyebrow, he lets out a nervous chuckle. “What?”

“Hannah and Clay work there.”

“So? We’ll go on a day when they don’t work. Or we could go see a band? There’s usually some good stuff on over the weekend.”

“I’d like that,” Alex says, the smile slowly but surely taking over his face. “Shit, I can’t believe we’re actually going to do this.”

“A date?”

“Yeah. I really wanted to hate you, you know?”

“You did.”

“Yeah… I always thought you were interesting though,” Alex admits, a big grin forming on Zach’s face. “What? I said interesting, not…”

“Hot?”

“Fuck off, Zach.” Alex shakes his head, smiling to himself.

“I thought _you_ were.”

“Were what?”

“Good-looking. Especially when you still had the ehm…,” Zach says, pointing at his nose. “Why did you take it out?”

“I figured I’d get less shit from those assholes if I stopped dyeing my hair, and I took out my nose ring. It didn’t work though.”

“I’m really sorry I never stopped them,” Zach says, but when Alex tries to shrug it off, he sighs. “Did you really change because of them?”

“Yeah, I was trying to get them to stop noticing me,” Alex admits. “It’s not great, getting your head kicked in.”

“I think you should dye your hair again,” Zach says, but Alex just laughs, convinced Zach is taking the piss. “I mean it, fuck those guys. If you want to dye your hair and have a nose ring, just do it. Who gives a fuck what they think?”

“You did, up until just a few weeks ago. Or have you already forgotten about that?”

“Yeah, and I regret that. I fucked up, keeping quiet just to keep the peace. But not anymore.”

“Oh god,” Alex laughs, when he sees the determined look in Zach’s eyes. “I almost regret agreeing to go out with you now.”

“I mean it, Alex. Fuck ‘em.”

“Yeah… that sounds great, until Monty tries to break my legs again.”

“I won’t let him.”

“You really think I should dye my hair again?” Alex asks, as he checks himself out in the rearview mirror. “What color?”

“Any color you want.”

“And if I dye it green, would you still want to be seen with me?” Alex teases, but when he looks back at Zach, and he sees the loving smile on his face, he can feel himself blushing. “Thanks. For having my back.”

“It’s what you do, right?”


	11. Chapter 11

“I really don’t like the thought of leaving the two of you on your own,” Lainie says, as her husband helps her into her coat. “Are you sure you’re going to be fine?”

“Mom, seriously? What do you think is going to happen?” Clay asks, but as soon as the words have left his mouth, and he sees the grin forming on Justin’s face, he realizes that he really doesn’t want his mother to answer that question.

“They’ll be fine,” Matt says, his wife still not convinced, but when Justin hands her her purse, she sighs.

“Fine. But if anything happens, you call us, okay? I mean it!”

“We will, Mrs. Jensen. Don’t worry.”

“I left the number…”

“Right, that’s it. We’re leaving,” Matt laughs. “I’m sure they won’t burn the house down.”

He leads his wife out of the house, and as soon as the door has closed behind them, Justin wraps his arms around Clay’s waist, and he pulls him in for a kiss.

“So… looks like we have the house all to ourselves tonight, huh?”

“Can you believe that?” Clay rolls his eyes. “What does she think will happen?”

“Well…”

“Do not answer that!”

The grin on Justin’s face grows bigger, before he gives Clay another kiss. But Clay isn’t ready to let go of his mother’s worries just yet, and as they go up the stairs, he keeps going on and on about it, until they go into their room, and they both spot the items on the desk which definitely had not been there before.

“What the…”

“Holy shit,” Justin laughs, when he picks up the box of condoms, before checking out the bottle of lubricant. “Did you get these?”

“No!” Clay says, looking horrified. “I’m pretty sure my parents did.”

“Here I was, thinking they were about to kick me out…,” Justin chuckles. “Your parents are pretty awesome. You know that, right?”

“It’s embarrassing.”

“Why?”

“Because… my parents bought me fucking condoms and lube, that’s why!” Clay spits out, still looking horrified, but when Justin sets the items down, before pulling his boyfriend into his arms, he seems to relax a little.

“You’re cute when you’re blushing,” Justin whispers, before pressing a kiss onto Clay’s neck.

“I’m not…,” Clay tries, but when Justin kisses his neck again, he can’t help but smile. “Fine. But it’s weird, right?”

Justin shrugs, the grin on his face becoming more mischievous by the second.

“What?”

“Seeing as your parents went through the trouble of getting this stuff for us, it’d be a shame not to use it, right?”

* * *

“I’m really not sure about this,” Alex admits, as he and Zach are about to bleach his hair. “I’m pretty sure you’re not supposed to do this at home.”

“You’re not backing out now, are you?” Zach asks, a knowing look on his face. “Seriously, fuck what they think.”

“You know it was even worse when I looked like that, right?”

“I know, I was…”

“There?” Alex suggests. “Watching it happen?”

Alex opens his mouth to apologize for bringing it up again, but Zach stops him, and he gives him a reassuring squeeze in his arm.

“I’m not going to let that happen anymore.”

“I don’t need you to look out for me. I mean, I guess I do… if you hadn’t been there the other week, Monty definitely would have beaten the shit out of me, but… I’m not some pathetic, helpless…”

“I know,” Zach quickly says, an uncomfortable look on his face. “I’m not trying to make you do anything, but I hate knowing that you felt like you had to change because of them. I feel guilty, okay? I’m trying to make up for what I did. Or for what I didn’t do.”

“I know,” Alex sighs, as he stares down at the bleach in his hands. “I’m just nervous, I guess.”

“I’ll do it too, if that helps,” Zach suggests, but when he sees the look on Alex’s face, he can’t help but laugh. “No?”

“I’m not sure if you’re taking the piss or not.”

“I’m not. I mean, my mom would probably kill me if I show up with bleached hair, but…”

“You’d look ridiculous.”

“Thanks!” Zach laughs, but he can tell that Alex is grateful for the offer nonetheless. “Yeah, not all of us can pull off that look.”

“I guess we better get this over with, right?”

* * *

“Alex?” Jessica asks, a big smile forming on her face when she notices her ex-boyfriend coming into the hallway the next morning. “You look amazing!”

“Thanks?”

“I told him, but he doesn’t want to hear it.” Zach shrugs, the smile on Jessica’s face only growing bigger when she notices the blush on Alex’s face.

“I almost regret dumping you now!”

“Fuck off, Jess,” Alex laughs uncomfortably, but he can’t deny that her compliment makes him feel at least a little bit more comfortable. Still he knows that as soon as Bryce and his friends will notice him, they will point out his new, or rather his old look, and he has been dreading it all morning.

“You really do look great,” Jessica says, when she sees his hands shaking as they turn the corner. “By the way, did…”

“You had sex with Justin?!” Hannah asks, so loudly that not only her friends on the other side of the hallway overhear her, but everyone else too.

“Seriously?” Clay rolls his eyes. “Thanks!”

“Sorry, but… oh my god!” Hannah laughs, as their friends join them. “I can’t believe you slept with him!”

“I’m pretty sure the entire school heard that,” Zach laughs sheepishly, but Hannah just shrugs, completely oblivious to the uncomfortable look on Clay’s face. “Where is Justin anyway?”

“Bathroom,” Clay sighs, really regretting telling Hannah about last night. But he is still trying to process it, and he thought that talking to Hannah about it would make it seem more real, and it would somehow help. He hadn’t counted on the rest of his friends finding out too though. Or the rest of the school, for that matter.

“How was it?”

“Hannah!” Jessica laughs. “Leave him alone. It’s none of your business.”

“But he…”

“This is why we’re not telling anyone about that date yet.” Alex rolls his eyes, as he leads Zach away from the others. “I know they mean well, but…”

“You don’t want your business announced to the entire school?”

“Exactly.”

“We’re still on for tomorrow night though, right?”

“Of course,” Alex says, actually finding himself smiling at the thought of going out with Zach. But when he hears Monty yelling his name across the hallway, his insides feel like they are getting wrangled up, and the smile quickly leaves his face.

“What the fuck did you do to your hair?” Monty laughs, but before he can even make another comment, Zach has already cut him off.

“Just fuck off, Monty!”

“Whoah, I was just asking your boyfriend what…,” Monty begins, but when Zach takes a step towards him, he flinches. He quickly flashes a cocky grin though, not willing to show anyone that he is intimidated by Zach.

“You are really just a pathetic little boy, aren’t you?” Alex asks, half-expecting to be punched in the face for making such a comment. But for a split-second he can see the hurt look in Monty’s eyes, before he turns around and walks off. “What the fuck just happened?”

“Bryce isn’t around, so…” Zach shrugs. “He’s not all that tough without his usual audience.”

“What? He needs Bryce to hold his hand or something?”

“In a way, I guess. Look, I’m not trying to stick up for Monty, but you heard what Justin said. He’s just doing all of this so people won’t find out who he really is.”

“Yeah, but…”

“Did you ever think that maybe he has a good reason to pretend to be someone else?” Zach asks, and as much as Alex wants to ignore Zach’s reasoning, he can’t help but wonder what is going on with Monty. What his life must be like outside of school. “I don’t think he’s doing all of this just to impress Bryce, or to try and stay in his good books. I think there’s more to it. Like I said, I’m not saying that what he’s doing is okay, but…”

“I know,” Alex sighs. “Shit, I’m almost starting to feel sorry for him now.”

“I wouldn’t go that far,” Zach chuckles. “He’s still the same asshole who beats the shit out of people, so…”

“Exactly. Almost.”

* * *

“Are you going out with Zach?” Mrs. Standall asks, as Alex is about to leave the house.

“Yeah, but I’ll be back before midnight.”

“That’s okay. You ehm…”

“I really have to go,” Alex quickly says, because he knows what his mother is about to ask, and he is not sure if he is ready for that question just yet. But when she comes up to him, one of those motherly smiles on her face, he knows that there is no getting out of it.

“I hope you don’t mind me asking, but is this a date?”

“It is. Is that okay?”

“Of course. You have fun tonight.” Carolyn smiles, before giving her son a hug. “I love you.”

“I love you, too,” Alex mumbles, before rushing out of the house, and getting into Zach’s car.

“Hey, we…”

“My mom knows.”

“Yeah. We already knew that, didn’t we?” Zach asks, a confused look on his face, but when Alex stares down at his hands, a blank look on his face, he realizes that there is more to it. “You told her?”

“I guess. She asked me if we were going on a date, and I didn’t want to lie to her.”

“What did she say?”

“Not much. But if she tells my dad…”

“You don’t think he’ll accept it?”

“He will. It’s just weird, right?” Alex shrugs. “Having to tell your parents you’re going out with a guy.”

“I wouldn’t know,” Zach chuckles uncomfortably.

“Your mom doesn’t know?”

“I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t be here right now if she knew. So I’m putting it off for a little while longer.”

“Shit… now it feels like we’re sneaking around,” Alex laughs. “I guess we better make sure we don’t get seen tonight then.”

“Yeah, somehow I doubt my mom will be checking out some local indie band tonight,” Zach laughs, and when he sees the shy, almost nervous blush on Alex’s face, he almost leans in to kiss him. But he still remembers how Alex had told him not to kiss him, not until they had at least been on a date, so instead, he just returns the smile, before starting the car. “Ready?”

“I guess.”

* * *

Alex had been excited to go out with Zach, but he had also been nervous, not only because it was his first date with a guy, but also because he really wasn’t sure what Zach would be like in public, without their friends around. Sure enough, they have had drinks together before, but that was as friends. He simply wasn’t sure what to expect from Zach in this different setting, and he was almost expecting him to be distant, embarrassed to be seen with him.

But Zach had been nothing but a gentleman, he had almost been trying a little too hard, but it only made Alex relax, seeing how badly he wanted to get it right. It had made the evening more fun, even if the music turned out to be awful, and they had decided to leave halfway through to go for a drink instead.

“So… do you want to do this again some time?” Zach asks, when Alex is about to leave the car after Zach has dropped him off back home again, that awkward, nervous first-date atmosphere now definitely between them again. Because how are they supposed to say goodbye? Will there be another date? Will there be a kiss?

“Sure.” Alex nods, a shy smile on his face. “But maybe next time we just hang out, we don’t… you know…”

“Go through that awkward ‘calling it a date’-thing?” Zach suggests. “I mean, I’d love to go out again, but maybe not…”

Before Zach can even finish his sentence, Alex has already kissed him, this time nothing holding him back. He still feels a little nervous though, because this is Zach Dempsey we’re talking about. But when Zach slides his hand onto his thigh, he knows that he has not messed up. He has not taken things too far, or misread Zach’s intentions. But just as they are getting into it, there is a knock on the window, and they quickly move away from each other.

“Hello, Zach,” Bill says, a big smile on his face, completely ignoring the embarrassed look on his son’s face. “Thank you for getting Alex home safe.”

“Dad, I…”

“Was just saying goodbye to Zach?” Bill suggests, trying hard not to laugh, as he watches his son make an awkward apology to Zach, before quickly getting out of the car.

“Sorry,” Alex mumbles, as his father walks him into the house, and as soon as the door closes behind him, and he turns to face his father, he expects to be told off. But when he sees the worried look on his father’s face, he sighs.

“I know Zach is a good kid, but be careful, okay?”

“We weren’t doing drugs, or…”

“That’s not what I’m talking about, and you know it. I don’t want you to get hurt,” Bill says, but Alex just nods, not sure what to say. Because he isn’t entirely sure if his father is expecting Zach to hurt him, or if he is expecting others to hurt him for going out with Zach. Either way, he doesn’t want to have this conversation.

“I’ll be fine. Now can I go to my room?”

“Sure.” Bill nods, but when Alex is about to walk off, he calls him back. “Alex?”

“Yeah?”

“The ehm…,” Bill begins, a little uncomfortable, because he still remembers his own reaction when Alex had first come home with a pierced nose. He points at his nose, and right away Alex covers up his repierced nose, half-expecting to be told to take it out again. But Bill flashes a smile, this time feeling nothing but pride when he looks at his son, who finally looks like himself again. “It looks great.”

“Thanks, dad.”


	12. Chapter 12

“We were just wondering how long you were planning on staying here,” Lainie admits, an uncomfortable look on her face, when the family is just finishing their breakfast. “It’s not that we want you to leave, but I can imagine that your parents must be missing you.”

“Mom…”

“It’s fine. I was thinking about going home anyway,” Justin lies. “I really appreciate that you allowed me to stay here, Mr. and Mrs. Jensen,” he says, flashing a grateful smile, before getting up from the table, and going up to the bedroom, his heart almost beating out of his chest. Because he had gotten so comfortable, staying at the Jensens, that he pushed down the thought of having to go home one day. But knowing that he will have to go home, that it will most likely end with a fight and he will end up on the street, it makes him feel sick to his stomach.

“You can’t send him away,” Clay says, as soon as Justin has left the kitchen. “He can’t go home.”

“Why not? Is his mother still away for work?”

“I lied,” Clay quickly admits. “She’s not away for work. She’s a drug addict, and her boyfriend is a drug dealer. They had a fight, so Justin was staying with this guy from school, but…”

“I’m sorry, but…,” Matt begins, but then he shakes his head. “You lied to us?”

“He had nowhere to go, dad. What was I meant to do?”

“Tell us the truth,” Lainie says. “You could have told us this when you asked us if he could stay here.”

“But then you would have wanted to talk to his mom, or you would have reported it, or…”

“We still would have offered to let him stay here, Clay. But does his mother even know he is here?”

“Yes. But she doesn’t care, okay? She’s an addict. You can’t send him back there,” Clay tries again, still remembering what Justin had told him about his mother’s boyfriend trying to choke him. “It’s not safe, okay?”

“Did someone hurt him?”

“No, but… you can’t send him back to live with an addict,” Clay says. “He needs somewhere where it’s stable, and…”

“We _will_ have to talk to his mother, Clay. He is underage, and if they want him to come home…,” Lainie sighs. “It’s not up to us.”

“But you will let him stay here if she’s okay with it?”

His parents share a look, but then Lainie nods, and she flashes a small, hesitant smile.

“Justin can stay, but only if his mother agrees.”

* * *

“Do you think she is in?” Lainie asks, when she and Matt are about to get out of the car. “Is she usually in at this time?”

“She should be. I sent her a text to let her know we were coming,” Justin says, still staring down at his hands. He knows the Jensens aren’t judging him, but he can’t help but feel embarrassed, because so far Bryce and his family had been the only one to know about his situation, and to have Clay and his family knowing, to have them trying to help him, it makes him feel young and vulnerable. It makes him feel like he should be capable of taking care of himself by now, and the fact that he can’t, it makes him feel like there is something wrong with him.

“Do you want to come in with us?” Matt asks, but Justin just shrugs. “We’ll talk to your mom, okay? You stay here with Clay.”

“Thank you,” Justin mumbles, and the Jensens both flash a smile before getting out of the car.

“What do you think she is going to say?” Clay asks, and he grabs his boyfriend’s hand as soon as his parents close the door behind them. “What if she wants you to come home?”

“She doesn’t.”

“But what if she does?”

“She doesn’t give a fuck, Clay. I doubt she even noticed I was gone,” Justin says, and they watch as Clay’s parents go into the house. “She only cares about herself.”

“I’m sure that’s not true.”

“You have no idea what you’re talking about,” Justin says, his eyes focused on the front door, half-expecting the Jensens to be kicked out before they have even gotten a chance to sit down.

“No matter what happens in there, you know I love you, right?” Clay asks, the color on Justin’s face slowly draining, and it isn’t until he turns to face him, that it dawns on him what he has just said. “I mean…”

“You love me?”

“Yeah.” Clay nods, flashing a small, nervous smile. “Is that okay?”

“No one has ever said that to me before,” Justin admits, his hand getting clammy in Clay’s hand. “I don’t… I’m sorry, but I can’t…”

“I don’t expect you to feel the same way,” Clay quickly says. “I just want you to know.”

Justin gives a small nod, before looking back at the house, Clay tightening his grip on his hand as the front door opens, and Matt steps out, two large bags in his hands.

“Oh, shit…”

“I told you, didn’t I?” Justin sighs. “She doesn’t give a fuck about me.”

“I’m so sorry.”

Lainie comes out, looking more than just a little upset, and after shouting something into the house, she comes storming towards the car, her husband quickly following.

“What happened?” Clay asks, after his parents have gotten in. “What did she say?”

“It doesn’t matter,” Lainie says, turning around to face the teenagers. “You are welcome to stay with us for as long as you want, Justin. Our home is your home now.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Jensen,” Justin says, trying to hide how much he is hurting, but he struggles to keep his tears in, and the pitying looks are only making things worse.

“We’ll go back later to pick up the rest of your things,” Matt says as he starts the car, but Justin shrugs, an embarrassed look on his face.

“I’m pretty sure she packed all my stuff as soon as I told her we were coming.”

“But that’s only…,” Clay begins, but then he realizes what Justin is saying, and he quickly keeps quiet.

“We will go shopping this week, and we’ll buy you whatever you need. You do not have to go back there anymore,” Lainie quickly says. “I am so sorry, Justin.”

* * *

“Wait, your mom kicked you out?” Zach asks, after Justin has told him what had happened over the weekend. “What did she say?”

“I don’t know, but Clay’s parents came out with all my stuff, so yeah… I guess I’m now living with them.”

“Shit… they know about you and Clay, right?”

“Yeah, they do,” Justin laughs, still remembering the condoms and lubricant. “They are pretty cool about it. Especially his dad. His mom isn’t too happy about us sharing a room, but…,” he begins, but when Alex comes running up to them, looking more than just a little flushed, he keeps quiet.

“What happened?” Zach asks, but Alex is too out of breath to answer. “Are you okay?”

“Shit, Alex,” Justin laughs. “Are you in trouble?”

“It’s Bryce,” Alex manages to get out.

“What did he do?”

“He got arrested.”

“Drugs?” Justin asks, having seen him pass around so much at parties that he’s surprised he didn’t get caught sooner. “It was bound to happen sometime.”

“No.” Alex shakes his head, before leading them to somewhere quiet. “Don’t tell anyone, but…”

“What the fuck did he do?” Zach asks, the look on Alex’s face making him think that this is far more serious than drugs.

“I overheard my dad telling my mom that he got arrested for raping a girl.”

“What?!”

“And they think there might be more than one girl.”

“Wait… this girl…,” Zach begins, a wave of nausea washing over him. “You don’t think…”

“Hannah?” Justin asks. “She wouldn’t go near him.”

“He didn’t exactly take no for an answer when she told him to fuck off, did he?” Alex asks, having had the same thought as Zach. “I tried calling her, but her phone went straight to voicemail.”

“We should try and find her. If he hurt her…,” Zach begins, but he can’t even begin to fathom the thought that Bryce might have actually done such a thing to Hannah.

They go to Hannah’s locker, but she isn’t there, and although none of them says it, they all share the same worry. But when they go over to Jessica’s locker, and they find Hannah and Clay there too, happily chatting away, clueless as to what it going on, they all breathe a sigh of relief.

“Thank god you’re okay,” Zach says, before pulling Hannah into the tightest hug. “I thought…”

“What’s going on?” Hannah laughs. “Have I missed something?”

“Bryce was arrested,” Alex explains. “They think he raped someone.”

“Holy shit,” Jessica spits out, and it takes her a moment, but then she puts two and two together. “You thought he raped Hannah?”

“What?” Hannah asks, freeing herself from Zach’s grip. “He didn’t! I swear, he never touched me!”

“He sent you those texts though,” Clay says, and they all go silent, fully aware of what could have happened. “Shit, I can’t believe he did that. I know he’s an asshole, but I didn’t think he was a rapist.”

“Keep it quiet though, yeah?” Alex quickly says. “I only found out because of my dad.”

“Who do you think the girl is?” Jessica asks, a worried look on her face. “Do you think we know her?”

Before anyone can answer, they hear a loud bang and it makes them all jump. When they turn, they see Monty punching a locker, looking more than just a little upset, as his friends, Bryce’s usual group, quickly walk off.

“Do you think he knows?”

“That Bryce got arrested?”

“What Bryce did.”

“Should we go over to him?” Alex suggests, but when he looks up, his friends are all staring at him. “What? His best friend just got arrested.”

“So? It’s not our problem.” Jessica shrugs. “Monty is just as bad. I wouldn’t be surprised if he did know. Who says he wasn’t there when it happened? Those two probably don’t even take a shit without the other watching.”

“Jess is right. He is not your problem,” Zach sighs, but Alex can’t help but feel sorry, because he can tell that Monty is upset, and no matter what the guy has done to him, he hates to see him like this, because he knows how it feels.

“I’ll talk to him,” Justin says, looking anything but pleased about it. “You guys stay away from him, okay?”

“Please, don’t,” Clay tries, but Justin has already turned around. “Justin!”

“He’ll be fine,” Hannah says, as she wraps an arm around Clay’s waist. “They’re not going to fight. Again.”

“Yeah, right. If my parents find out he has gotten into a fight again…”

“They’ll kick him out?”

“I don’t know,” Clay admits. “But I need him to stay out of trouble.”

* * *

“Hey man, are you okay?” Justin asks, but when Monty turns around, ready for a fight, he backs up. “Whoah, I’m only asking if you’re okay. I’m not looking for a fight. You heard about Bryce?”

“Fuck off.”

“Want to talk about it?”

“No. Just leave me alone,” Monty spits out, but when Justin leads him out of the hallway, he follows him anyway. “It’s bullshit, right? What they’re saying about him. He wouldn’t do that, would he?”

“He would,” Justin sighs, “and you know it. Bryce is an asshole, who won’t take no for answer. He is used to getting his way, so…”

“He wouldn’t do that!”

“Yeah, he would, Monty.”

“Do you know who she is?” Monty asks, looking small and vulnerable, and Justin can’t help but feel sorry for him, because he knows that Monty is nothing when he isn’t hiding behind Bryce. “This girl he raped?”

“I don’t know. I doubt we’ll ever find out. His parents will probably pay her off, and he’ll just get away with it.”

Monty gives a small nod, but then he looks over his shoulder to make sure they are still alone, before whispering.

“I didn’t know, okay? He showed me pictures of all these girls, but I didn’t know he was hurting them.”

“I know,” Justin sighs. “But you know that he did this, right? That he is not a good guy. Bryce is…”

“He is my friend.”

“Why? What do you get out of this?” Justin asks. “I get it, Monty. I stayed by his side for years, but when I walked away, I didn’t lose shit.”

“I just…”

“He is never going to accept you for who you are. Just because he lets you suck his dick, doesn’t mean he cares about you,” Justin says, and although he knows that the words are harsh, he knows that Monty needs to hear the truth. “You are nothing to him. He doesn’t care about anyone but himself. So get out while you can, okay?”

“You’re jealous.”

“Of what?” Justin scoffs. “Look at me, Monty. I get to live my own life, and I don’t have to hide anymore. I have a boyfriend who loves me, who…”

“You’re a fag!” Monty spits out, a desperate attempt to shut Justin up, but Justin sees right through it.

“Yeah, I am, and so are you, Monty. But at least I don’t have to hide anymore.”


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi,
> 
> First of all, I am so sorry that it took so long for me to post this chapter. I've been ill over the last couple of weeks, so I wasn't able to write or post anything. I have finished writing this story a while ago though, so don't worry, there is no chance it will get abandoned! But yeah, for the last few days I've been trying to get back to my regular posting schedule, so we should be back on track.
> 
> Second, over on Wattpad I was accused of stealing a story. This story. I was accused of stealing it from, well, me. I post my stories on multiple websites, two of them being AO3 and Wattpad, and I use the same username on all websites, to make sure people know it's all me. But unfortunately someone still thought AO3 me wrote the story and the Wattpad me stole the story from the AO3 me. That's not the case. Both Samunderthelights profiles are mine. I know that some people prefer different websites to read their fanfiction, so I post on multiple websites to make sure people can read it on whatever website they prefer. So just to reassure the person who thought Wattpad me was a thief; Hi! It's really me! 😉
> 
> So now that we've got that out of the way,  
> Enjoy!
> 
> Xx

“I was thinking…,” Alex begins, when he looks up from the video game he and Zach have been playing ever since they had gotten home from school. “Why don’t you stay here tonight? We can watch a movie, maybe…”

“I’m not ready to… you know…,” Zach quickly says, but when he sees Alex trying hard not to laugh, he can feel the blush creeping up on him. “But you were not talking about sex.”

“I wasn’t,” Alex laughs. “I just thought it’d be nice to spend more time together.”

“Yeah, okay. But no…”

“Relax, I’m pretty sure I can manage to keep my hands to myself.” Alex rolls his eyes. “You’re not that irresistible.”

“Thanks!” Zach chuckles, but when a grin forms on Alex’s face, he can feel the blush creeping up on him.

Alex leans in, and he begins to kiss Zach, their kisses now feeling so natural, that it’s almost like they have been doing this for years. And when Zach places his hand onto Alex’s lower back, Alex almost tells him how much he loves this. But when they hear footsteps coming up the stairs, they quickly break away from each other.

“Oh, hello Zach, I didn’t realize you were here,” Bill says, when he peaks into Alex’s room after getting home from work. He flashes a smile, and although Zach returns it, there is something uncomfortable about the look on Alex’s father’s face, and it makes him take his hand off Alex’s back.

“Can Zach stay here tonight?”

“I don’t think that would be a good idea. You can stay for dinner though, but…”

“That’s okay, Mr. Standall. I should go home anyway,” Zach quickly says, and he gets up, not wanting to cause any trouble.

“No, you don’t have to go,” Alex says, and he gets up too, and grabs Zach’s hand. “Why can’t he stay, dad?” he asks, but they all know the reason, so the atmosphere grows even more uncomfortable. “You didn’t mind Jess spending the night here.”

“That was different, and you know it.”

“How? You know Zach and I are dating, right?” Alex asks, still gripping tightly onto his boyfriend’s hand. “So why can’t he stay? Is it because he’s a guy?”

“I am not going to argue with you about this, Alex. I think it’s best if Zach goes home now, and we will talk about this later.”

“But…”

“It’s fine,” Zach quickly says, and he squeezes into Alex’s hand to stop him from trying to argue with his father. “I’ll come pick you up tomorrow, okay?”

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine,” Zach reassures him, as he picks up his things. “Have a nice evening, Mr. Standall,” he says, as he walks past him, really hoping this won’t cause a fight between Alex and his father later on.

“This is ridiculous,” Alex begins, ready to pick up where they had left off, but his father just holds up his hand to warn him.

“I will not have it, Alex,” he says, and without saying another word, he turns and leaves to go downstairs.

Alex tries his best to keep calm, but he can feel the anger inside of him building up, already feeling like he can’t be himself at school without being called names, and now he can’t even be himself at home? So he follows his father downstairs, into the kitchen where his mother is preparing dinner.

“What is going on?” she asks when she sees his face.

“I don’t know. Why don’t you ask dad?”

“I…”

“Dad doesn’t like that his son is a fucking faggot,” Alex spits out, and as soon as the words have left his mouth, he wishes he could take them back, but they are out now, and as much as he wishes he would have put it differently, he knows that it’s the reason why his father won’t let Zach stay over.

“I don’t care that you and Zach are dating, Alex. I think Zach is a nice boy, and I am happy for you, but…”

“Then why did you just send him home, huh?” Alex asks. “You never had a problem with Jess being here.”

“I am not doing this. Zach is not spending the night, and that is that,” Bill spits out, not willing to take any more of his son’s accusations, before storming off.

“Your father has no issue with you liking boys, Alex,” his mother sighs, as she steps up to him, a tired and worried look on her face. “He loves you, and he is so proud of you… but he knows that those boys at school are giving you trouble. We see the bruises,” she explains, “and he is worried that if they find out about you and Zach that they will only give you more trouble.”

“But what does Zach staying over has to do with people at school finding out?”

“He is just trying to look out for you. He is worried.”

“Worried about what?”

“Just give him time, okay? He is trying his best,” Carolyn says, before flashing a reassuring smile. “Your father loves you, Alex. Saying he thinks you’re a… I’m not even going to say it. But that’s not fair. You know he would never think such a thing.”

“I know,” Alex sighs, an embarrassed look on his face.

“Is that what they call you at school?”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“It matters to me. If you want me to go talk to someone about it…”

“Don’t. It’s fine.”

“It’s not. Bullying someone for being gay…,” Carolyn sighs, but when she sees the look on her son’s face, she laughs. “What? Have I said the wrong thing?”

“I’m not gay, mom. They say it to everyone.”

“Oh… yes, of course. Sorry,” she says, before letting out a nervous chuckle. “I’m still learning too.”

“It’s not rocket science.” Alex rolls his eyes. “I dated Jess, now I’m dating Zach.”

Alex realizes just how snappy it had come out, and when he looks up at his mother, they both laugh.

“Sorry…”

“Don’t worry,” Carolyn laughs. “I get it. But ehm… and I really don’t want to ask, but I have to.”

“Ask what?” Alex asks, immediately growing more uncomfortable again.

“Are you and Zach safe?”

“Safe?” Alex asks, not sure what his mother is talking about. But then it hits him, and he can feel himself beginning to blush. “Jesus, mom!”

“Trust me, I don’t want to talk about this either.”

“We’re not having sex, okay?” Alex grumbles. “Happy now?”

“I don’t care if you are or not. I just want you to be safe.”

“If it happens, we’ll use protection,” Alex quickly says, wanting to get away from this conversation as soon as possible.  
“Do you need me to buy you some, or…?”

“Mom!”

“I love you?”

“For fuck’s sake.” Alex rolls his eyes, but when his mother wraps her arms around him, he hugs her back, more than grateful for her love and acceptance. “I love you, too.”

“And your dad loves you too. Just give him some time, okay?”

* * *

Alex is just packing his bag for school the next morning, when his father comes into his room, an uncomfortable look on his face.

“Can we talk?”

“Sure.” Alex shrugs, still embarrassed at the things he had said to him last night, but he is also still angry that Zach couldn’t stay over. He sits down on his bed though, willing to hear his father out.

“I don’t care that you have a boyfriend, Alex,” Bill sighs, as he sits down on Alex’s desk chair. “That is not why I didn’t want Zach to spend the night here.”

“Then why? When I was with Jess…”

“I was trying to protect you.”

“From what? From Zach?”

“From getting hurt. Knowing that kids at school are hurting you… I just don’t want them to have another reason to hurt you, okay?”

“So what? I’m supposed to pretend to be straight, just to avoid getting my head kicked in? Jesus, thanks, dad.” Alex rolls his eyes. “You know they beat the shit out of me when I was with Jess too, right?”

“I’m sorry. For getting it wrong. But believe me when I say that I was trying to look out for you, I was not…”

“Being a homophobic asshole?” Alex suggests, but when he sees the disappointed look on his father’s face, he quickly mumbles, “Sorry.”

“I love you, okay? And next time Zach is here…”

“You won’t kick him out?”

“I won’t. Just don’t rush into things.”

“I am not having this conversation with you,” Alex quickly says, fully aware of where this is going. “I already had it with mom last night, so…”

“I wasn’t going to say anything.”

“Yeah, you were,” Alex chuckles uncomfortably. “But don’t, please.”

“I won’t,” Bill laughs, as he gets up. “I love you, okay?”

* * *

“So what is going on with you two?” Hannah asks, when Alex and Zach join the others at their table for lunch. “Are you guys dating, or…?”

“Just friends.” Alex shrugs, trying to keep a straight face. “Not even that, really.”

“You two are so hooking up, aren’t you?” Justin laughs. “Look at ‘em!”

“We are not… hooking up,” Zach quickly says. “We’re hanging out.”

“Yeah… is that what you call it?” Justin laughs, the grin on his face only growing bigger.

“Just because you two basically live together already, and get to share a bed every night…,” Alex begins, before looking down at his food, not feeling too comfortable talking about this in front of Jessica, even though they are still friends.

“The bed…,” Justin grins. “The couch… the shower…”

“Seriously?” Clay asks. “They don’t have to know that.”

“What? That was fun!”

“Yeah, until my mom almost walked in.”

“Wow,” Hannah laughs. “Yeah, I still don’t know how you went from ‘I am too scared to go talk to him’ to ‘we are fucking in every room of the house’.”

“I wasn’t too scared to talk to him!”

“Yeah, you were,” Justin laughs. “That’s why you were always trying to check me out when you thought I wasn’t looking.”

“I wasn’t… wait, you knew about that?”

“I knew.” Justin grins, the blush on Clay’s face growing darker. “It was cute.”

“God, I hate you two,” Jessica blurts out, and they all look at her. “It’s like… you couldn’t be more different, and this thing you have going on, it definitely shouldn’t be working, right? And yet, it’s like you are just meant to be together or something.”

“I know.” Hannah rolls her eyes, a big smile on her face. “It’s not fair, right? And then you have these two…,” she says, looking at Alex and Zach, who couldn’t be more different from Clay and Justin, so they are half-expecting some comment mocking them. “Just look at them! Thinking we don’t know that they have been dating for weeks.”

“We haven’t…”

“Been trying to hide it from us?” Jessica laughs, a knowing smile on her face. “You know it’s why we dumped you guys, right? We knew.”

“Yeah, okay.” Alex shrugs. “But we are definitely not like those two.” He rolls his eyes, as Justin pulls Clay in for yet another kiss. “At all.”

“Shame.” Hannah shrugs. “We could do with more people like them. Who don’t hide behind…”

“Jesus, Hannah,” Jessica laughs. “It’s not like they have to make out in the cafeteria, is it?”

“Sorry. I’m just pissed off at people like Monty. You heard what happened this morning, right?”

“What did he do this time?”

“He beat up Tyler Down,” Hannah explains. “Apparently he was in the bathroom, and Tyler asked him if he was okay, because of what’s going on with Bryce, and Monty just lost it.”

“Oh, shit,” Clay says, looking around him to see if he can spot Tyler anywhere. “Is he okay?”

“I don’t know.” Hannah shrugs. “I only heard about it because some guys saw Monty do it.”

“That guy is so fucked up. He needs serious help.”

“Yeah… I can’t say this is all his fault though,” Justin sighs. “We all know whose fault this is, right? If Bryce hadn’t…”

“Bryce didn’t tell him to do this.”

“No, but Bryce made him like this. He found someone who is weak, and instead of helping him, he only made him worse. The kid is seriously fucked in the head, but…”

“No but,” Jessica says. “Bryce did the same to you, and you didn’t beat the shit out of Tyler. Monty is an asshole, and I think it’s time we stop defending him.”

“And what if we can help him?” Alex asks, but his ex-girlfriend just shrugs. “He deserves a second chance, right?”

“He doesn’t. He can go fuck himself.”


	14. Chapter 14

“It’s weird, right?” Alex asks, when Clay sits down next to him, not long before the game is about to begin. “I used to avoid these things, and now here I am…”

“To cheer on your boyfriend?” Clay suggests, recognizing the uncomfortable look on Alex’s face all too well. “Did Zach tell you to come?”

“No, he actually told me not to, because he knew I’d hate it. Justin?”

“He basically blackmailed into coming. If I didn’t, he would…”

“Yeah, don’t even finish that sentence,” Alex says, having heard enough details about Clay and Justin’s sex life already. “Do you remember that party at Jess’?”

“Yeah, of course,” Clay laughs nervously, still remembering how everyone had found out about his crush on Justin that night.

“Did you think we’d be here, just a few months later…”

“Dating Justin and Zach?” Clay asks, and Alex nods, still looking more than just a little uncomfortable. “Hell no. I didn’t think Justin even knew who I was, and you…”

“I was dating Jess,” Alex says. “I’m pretty sure I still hated Zach back then.”

“How the fuck did we end up here?” Clay laughs, but they both know the answer to that.

“As much as I hate to say it, if Bryce and Monty hadn’t come for me that day, and Zach hadn’t stepped in…”

“And Bryce hadn’t kicked Justin out… I doubt I ever would have gone up to Justin if that hadn’t happened.”

“Don’t worry, I’m pretty sure Hannah was planning on setting up a date or something. She would have made sure you guys would have ended up living together anyway,” Alex laughs. “You know she wouldn’t have given up, right?”

Before Clay can answer, Hannah joins them, the biggest smile on her face, and she gives them both a big hug, before wedging herself in between them.

“Oh my god, you guys, I’m so glad you’re both here!” she exclaims, the guys sharing a knowing look which she completely ignores, as she rambles on about how excited she is about the game.

* * *

“Is it always this tense?” Alex asks, feeling more uncomfortable with every minute that goes by. He isn’t an expert on the game, but he is pretty certain that the guys aren’t supposed to fight with their own team mates. Yet even from where they are sitting, he can tell that the coach has been struggling to keep them all apart ever since they have stepped onto the field.

“I have no idea what’s going on,” Hannah admits, no longer excited, but now also looking uncomfortable, as another scuffle seems to be breaking out on the field. “Jess said…”

“What the…,” Clay blurts out, but before he can even say whatever else he had been meaning to say, they see Monty jumping Justin, the rage in him almost animalistic.

The three friends jump up, but by the time they get down to the field, Monty has already been pulled off Justin. Zach and Jessica are kneeling down with Justin, who is still lying down in the grass, but Clay still expects to find him with a bloody nose, or a black eye. He expects him to get up, be angry for a minute or two, and then they will laugh it off.

But when he kneels down with him, he sees that the color is drained from Justin’s face, and it takes him a moment to realize why he isn’t speaking. But when he looks down, he sees what has happened, what Monty has done to him.

“That son of a…,” Clay spits out, ready to jump up and fight Monty himself. But Justin grabs his hand, and he looks up at him, shaking his head.

“Don’t.”

“He broke your fucking leg!” Clay says, a wave of nausea washing over him, when he sees the angle in which Justin’s leg is laying. “He can’t get away with this!”

* * *

Zach had seen how angry Monty was before the game, he had seen the vengeful look in his eyes. He had chosen to ignore it though. Again he had chosen to keep the peace and not to bring it up, hoping that staying out of it would be better for everyone. Yet Justin had ended up with a broken leg, and he had been so angry with himself for keeping quiet again, that he had spent the rest of the day arguing with everyone and anyone. It hadn’t done anyone any good though, because Monty had still gone unpunished. It had been written off as an accident, and that was that.

“It wasn’t your fault,” Justin says, when Zach apologizes yet again for not warning him about Monty’s anger before the game. “You couldn’t have stopped him.”

“I could have. I knew he was going to do something.”

“Did you know he was going to break my fucking leg?”

“No, but…”

“Exactly. Even if you had told me he was up to something, I wouldn’t have known he was going to come after me.” Justin shrugs, giving Clay a warning glare to keep quiet, because he knows that Clay is blaming anyone and everyone for what has happened. “I tried to help him, you know?”

“You did what?” Clay asks. “Why?”

“I warned him about Bryce, and I told him to get out.”

“So he broke your leg? What the fuck did you say to him?”

“That Bryce doesn’t care about him,” Justin says. “I was trying to help, but maybe Jess was right, maybe we should just let it go. I thought I could make him see sense, but…”

“He isn’t you, Justin,” Clay says, frustrated that his boyfriend has gotten into trouble again. “What happened with you and Bryce… he isn’t like you. Why can’t you see that?”

“I know that, okay? But it could have been me.”

“You have got to stay away from him. One more fight…”

“I didn’t fight him, Clay. He fucking jumped me!” Justin spits out, and Zach almost gets up and leaves, because he feels like he shouldn’t be here when the two of them are fighting. But when Clay sighs, before grabbing his boyfriend’s hand, Zach realizes that this is nothing more than frustration.

“I’m sorry, okay?”

“I know you were only trying to help. But you have got to stay away from him.”

“Clay is right,” Zach agrees. “Monty doesn’t want to hear it. So fuck it. If he wants to go on like this…”

“He’ll figure it out eventually.” Clay shrugs. “But he is not our responsibility.”

* * *

“How is Justin?” Alex asks, when Zach crashes down onto his bed, after having visited Clay and Justin. “How is his leg?”

“It’s pretty bad, but they’re hoping he won’t need surgery,” Zach says, before letting out a tired and frustrated sigh. “I should have stopped him.”

“We’ve been over this, Zach. It wasn’t your fault. If you’re just going to lie around, feeling sorry for yourself again, I’d prefer it if you go home.”

“Thanks.”

“I mean it. I appreciate that you feel bad for Justin, but if you had tried to stop Monty, he probably would have broken your leg instead. He was out for blood, and you know it.”

“I guess…”

Zach looks up, and he can’t help but smile when he sees Alex staring down at him with a knowing, slightly irritated look on his face.

“Are you done?”

“Yeah,” Zach chuckles, and he sits up, pulls Alex into his lap, and kisses him. “I’ve been thinking…”

“I don’t want to know.”

“Yeah, you do,” Zach laughs. “You know this dance that is coming up?”

“I don’t dance,” Alex groans uncomfortably, already fully aware of where this is going. “I mean it.”

“That’s fine. We don’t have to dance.”

“We… I did not agree to go with you. I just said…”

“That you don’t dance. So we won’t.”

“Zach…”

“Yeah?” Zach asks, his arms still wrapped tightly around Alex’s waist. “It’ll be fun.”

“Fun? It’s a high school dance. That’s not fun.”

“Alex.” Zach grins. “Come on!”

“Fine, but I am not dancing.”

“We’ll see.”

* * *

“Can I ask you something?” Clay asks, when he and Justin are on the couch watching a movie, while Clay’s parents are away for the weekend visiting family.

“Why does that sound serious?”

“Because it is.”

Justin turns the tv off, before turning to face his boyfriend, his heart beginning to beat faster. Because sure enough, things have been going well between them, apart from the little arguments here and there. But they were to be expected, seeing as they went from not knowing each other to living together. But other than that, Justin has to admit that his life has only gotten better since he has moved in with the Jensens, so he isn’t sure if he is ready for a serious conversation, because he doubts it will mean anything good.

“It’s about what you told me,” Clay says. “About what happened to you when you were a kid.”

“Right…”

“Do you think maybe you should talk to someone about it?” Clay suggests, but he can tell by the look on Justin’s face that he is already beginning to close off. “We haven’t talked about it since you told me, but I know you are having nightmares. I hear you.”

“I’m not… it’s not like…,” Justin tries, but he knows that Clay is right, so there is no point in denying it. “I’m fine, okay?”

“I don’t think you are. What that guy did to you… you can’t just keep it to yourself and hope that it will go away one day. It won’t.”

“And how would you know, huh?” Justin spits out, but Clay won’t be scared off. “With your perfect fucking family, and your…”

“Perfect? You know that I talk to someone about my shit too, right?” Clay asks. “I am not perfect, Justin. I know that I didn’t go through what you went through, but my life has been far from perfect.”

“I know,” Justin mumbles, remembering Clay’s ex-girlfriend, who had ended up in hospital after a suspected suicide attempt, and who moved away not long after. “I’m sorry.”

“But I talk to people, and it helps.”

“I talked to you, didn’t I?”

“Yeah, you did. But I don’t know how to help you,” Clay admits. “I’ve been here before. I’ve watched someone I love, refusing to get help.”

“Skye?”

“She almost died,” Clay says, struggling to hold back his tears, because he can tell that so much of Justin’s outgoing personality is a front, only there to hide the pain that he is carrying with him still. “And I am not willing to lose you, Justin. So please talk to someone.”

“Will you go with me?”

“Of course.” Clay nods, and he grabs Justin’s hand. “I’ll be there, okay? But please just… just talk to me. I am not Bryce. You don’t have to pretend with me.”

“I know,” Justin says, staring down at their hands.

“It got worse, didn’t it? After he got arrested?” Clay asks, and Justin nods, still avoiding facing his boyfriend. “Bryce being a rapist…”

“I should have known!” Justin spits out. “He hurt those girls, Clay. Just like that guy…”

“Did you know?”

“No, of course I didn’t know!”

“Then it’s not your fault. None of us knew,” Clay says, but he can see the pain in Justin’s eyes. “You are not to blame for what Bryce did, Justin. Or for what that guy did to you.”

Justin can hear Clay’s words, he can even hear that what he is saying makes sense, yet everything inside of him is telling him that Clay is wrong. That he is to blame for this, that somehow he should have been able to recognize the signs, that he should have been able to stop Bryce. That he should have been able to stop his mother’s boyfriend.

“It’s not your fault, do you hear me?” Clay repeats, but all Justin can do is nod. “Talk to me.”

“I can’t.”

“I love you, and I want to help, okay?”

Justin looks up, the smallest, shyest smile on his face, and it makes Clay let out a nervous chuckle.

“What?”

“I love you, too.”

“You don’t have to say that,” Clay quickly says. “I know you’re not…”

“I do, Clay. I love you.”


	15. Chapter 15

Alex’s heart is nearly beating out of his chest as he knocks on the front door of the Dempsey home. He has been here before, but Zach’s mother hadn’t actually been home. He had met Zach’s sister, but to meet his mother? It feels like a big, nerve-wrecking step, especially after everything Zach has told him about her.

“Wow, you look…,” Zach says, as soon as he opens the door, and he sees Alex standing there, all dressed up for the dance tonight.

“Ridiculous?”

“Not what I was going to say. I…,” Zach begins, but when his mother joins him in the hallway, he keeps quiet.

“Oh, hello. You must be…”

“I’m Alex.”

“Yes,” Mrs. Dempsey says, trying to hide the disapproving look on her face, but failing miserably, as she glances down to the ring in Alex’s nose. “Zach’s friend from school.”

“Mom, Alex is…”

“Well, are you going to leave him standing out there?”

“No, of course not,” Zach quickly says, and he lets Alex in, wanting to do nothing more than give him a hug or a kiss, but he stays far away from him, his mother still in the hallway with them.

“You should get ready, or you will be late.”

They quickly go up to Zach’s room, and as soon as they are inside, Zach pulls Alex in for a kiss.

“You weren’t lying when you said she was intimidating,” Alex chuckles nervously, Zach’s arms still wrapped tightly around his waist. “I’m pretty sure she hates me.”

“She doesn’t, she’s just…”

“Yeah, don’t even try to lie yourself out of that one,” Alex laughs, and he gives Zach another kiss, before freeing himself from his grip. “Did you tell her you’re staying at mine tonight?”

“I did. What did you tell your parents?”

“That I’m staying at yours. I doubt they’ll call your mom. They know we’re dating, so…” Alex shrugs, unable to keep the smile off his face when he notices the blush on Zach’s face. “Relax, we still have a dance to go to first.”

“We better go then, right?” Zach asks, a nervous smile on his face as he puts his jacket on. He grabs his bag, and after giving Alex a quick kiss, they go downstairs.

“Before you go,” Mrs. Dempsey says, and although Zach had been expecting some kind of rules, he was kind of hoping she wouldn’t have done this in front of Alex. “No drugs.”

“No, mom…”

“No alcohol,” his mother continues, and Zach quickly nods. “And no girls, Zach. You need to focus on your education, and…”

“Mom,” Zach begins, but she ignores him like he hasn’t said anything at all.

“Girls are nothing but a distraction. I warned you when you were dating that Hannah girl, and I told you I never liked her, so…”

“That’s not fair,” Zach interrupts her, and this time she does hear him. “Hannah is great, and it wasn’t her fault that I was distracted. Dad had just died.”

“Are you seeing her again? Is that it? Because if you are…”

“No,” Zach quickly says, not failing to notice the uncomfortable look on Alex’s face. “But I am dating someone.”

“Who is it? Do I know her?”

“I’m dating Alex,” Zach says, and it takes a moment for it to hit his mother that he is not talking about a girl named Alex, but that he means the boy standing next to him.

“No,” she says, shaking her head, a look of disbelief on her face. “Why would you say such a thing?”

“I am, mom. Alex is my boyfriend.”

“Stop it!” she spits out. “I do not want to hear this!”

“Mrs. Dempsey…”

“No! I think it’s best if you leave now, but we _will_ talk about this later.”

Zach nods, having expected this sort of reaction, so he leads Alex out of the house, and to his car, where they quickly get in.

“Are you okay?”

“I knew she wouldn’t understand.”

“Can’t you go back in and explain it to her? Maybe if you tell her…”

“Tell her what, Alex? I told her you’re my boyfriend, what else is there to say? If she doesn’t want to hear it, what do you want me to do about it?” Zach asks. “I can’t make her listen, can I?”

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s not your fault.” Zach shrugs, trying to hide how much it hurts, even if he had been expecting exactly this reaction. Alex can see right through it though, so he takes his hand, and he flashes a small smile.

“Are you sure you want to go tonight? We can just skip the dance, go to the hotel instead? Have a quiet night in?”

“And miss out on getting to dance with you? No way,” Zach laughs. “I’ll be fine. But thanks.”

* * *

Clay and Justin are in the middle of the dance floor, Justin struggling to dance with a broken leg, but he refuses to let it hold him back, Clay looking even more awkward, clearly not used to dancing in general. But as awkward as they look, it is obvious to see how much fun they are having, and how oblivious they are to the people pointing at them, or the dirty looks they are getting.

It makes Alex wish he could be like them, but the thought of going out there and dance with Zach, it still fills him with dread. He still expects to get beaten up, the second he were to even hold Zach’s hand.

Zach knows it, so he has simply sat with Alex, watching the others, and although it isn’t exactly the dance he had been hoping for, he is just glad to get to spend it together with his boyfriend.

But it’s not enough for Alex, and when he looks over to the other side of the room, and he sees Monty sitting there by himself, without his usual group of friends, it’s like something inside of him clicks.

“Where are you going?” Zach asks, when Alex gets up. “Want me to go with you?”

“I’ll be right back,” Alex says, and without saying another word, he crosses the room, and he goes up to Monty.

“What the fuck do you want?”

“You know, I was scared of you,” Alex admits. “I was scared to make a wrong move, in case it would make you or Bryce, or one of your other friends notice me. I tried to do everything I could to blend in…”

“Is there a point to this?” Monty asks, trying to look like he is still one of the tough guys. But Alex can see the hurt, lost little boy he truly is. How he is sitting here by himself, without Bryce, without his friends. How he has no one left.

“I am not scared of you anymore, Monty.”

“What the fuck? Have you been drinking?”

“Look at yourself,” Alex continues, “I just feel sorry for you now.”

Alex can tell that Monty wants to make some kind of comeback, but before he can even open his mouth, he has already turned to go back to Zach, who has a worried look on his face.

“Are you okay? What did you say to him?”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“Are you sure?” Zach asks, looking over to Monty, and not failing to notice that he looks like he has just been punched in the face.

“Yeah.” Alex nods. “Let’s dance.”

* * *

“This is my favorite part of the night,” Hannah admits, when the group of friends are at the diner after the dance, still all dressed up as they are munching down on their burgers. “Just the six of us, hanging out…”

“Like we always do anyway,” Jessica laughs.

“Not like this,” Hannah says. “When I moved here, I was scared that I wasn’t going to make any friends, or I wasn’t going to fit in. I definitely didn’t think I’d end up with a group of friends like this, you know?”

“You mean, your ex, his boyfriend, your…”

Before Justin can finish, Clay has hit him in the arm to shut him up, but still the mischievous grin doesn’t leave his face.

“Yeah, alright,” Jessica laughs. “It’s a little weird. But we’re all okay with how things ended up, right? It’s not like we’re jealous.”

“Maybe a little,” Hannah says, but when she flashes a big smile, they know that she is only kidding. “I’m just happy you guys are happy together.”

“All of you,” Jessica quickly says, looking over to Clay and Justin. “I know Bryce put you through some real shit, so I’m glad things worked out for you too,” she adds, and Justin flashes a grateful smile. “You seem different.”

“I am,” Justin admits, grabbing Clay’s hand, before taking a deep breath. “Clay, he ehm…”

“You don’t have to do this.”

“No, I do,” Justin quickly says. “Clay didn’t just stop me from ending up on the street, but he has been helping me with some other stuff too. And I know I joke around a lot, but I’m pretty fucked up. And if it hadn’t been for Clay and his family… he saved me, you know?”

“He’s a pretty good person to have in your life.” Hannah smiles, not failing to notice the blush on Clay’s face. “You don’t have to talk about whatever is going on, but if you do want to talk, we’re all here.”

“Thanks.” Justin smiles, still not ready to open up to anyone about what he’s been through, but knowing that his friends are willing to listen, it means a lot to him. Especially after everything he’s been through, having been friends with Bryce.

* * *

“That was so awkward,” Alex laughs, when he and Zach step into their hotel room. “Do you think she knows why we’re here?”

“I doubt it. She was probably just wondering why we were wearing suits,” Zach laughs, as he drops his bag on the chair, before crashing down on the bed.

Alex is still nervously standing by the door though, still not entirely sure if coming here for the night was the best idea. But with his parents not letting him and Zach be in his room with a closed door, and not being able to spend the night at Zach’s, it had kind of felt like their only option to spend a night together without any interruption.

“We can just watch a movie,” Zach says, a reassuring smile on his face. “I know we haven’t really discussed it, so…”

“So we’re not here to have sex?” Alex asks, “Because I’m pretty sure we could watch a movie at mine.”

“I don’t know,” Zach admits. “I’ve never done it before, so I don’t know, okay? I thought it’d be nice, but if it’s too soon, we’ll wait.”

“Do you really want your first time to be in a shitty hotel room?” Alex asks. “In some dirty bed, with…”

“With you?” Zach asks, because let’s face it, that is the real question here. “I do.”

Alex can’t help but smile, as Zach gets up and steps up to him, a nervous smile on his face.

“I am in love with you, and I have never felt like I was ready to do this with someone. But with you… it feels right.”

“It’s a big step, Zach. I don’t want you to regret it, or think we’ve rushed into it.”

“I won’t.” Zach smiles, before giving Alex a kiss. “I’m ready.”

“Shit. We’re really doing this then?” Alex laughs nervously, when Zach goes to open his bag, and he pulls out a pack of condoms. “You know I’ve never been with a guy before either, right?”

“So? We’ll figure it out together.”


	16. Chapter 16

Zach can’t help but laugh as he notices the blush on Alex’s face when he turns to face him in bed the next morning. They share a nervous kiss, but it’s obvious that neither of them are sure how to start this conversation, and it only ends with more nervous laughter.

“So… that happened,” Alex finally says. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah.” Zach nods, but then a grin spreads all over his face. “I’m happy.”

“Me too.”

Zach pulls Alex in for another kiss, but when one of their phones starts buzzing, they break away from each other.

Zach picks up his phone, and the smile quickly leaves his face when he sees the text from his mother.

“What is it?”

“My mom wants to talk,” Zach sighs. “About us.”

“Do you want me to go with you?”

“Will you? It can get ugly.”

“I’ll go with you,” Alex says, feeling like the least he can do is to be there to support him, after Zach has had his back these last few months. “Don’t let her get to you, okay?”

“I won’t. I’m not going to let her ruin how I feel right now,” Zach says, and Alex can’t help but smile. “I feel like I want to say something, but I’m not sure if it’s too soon, so…”

“After what we did last night?” Alex chuckles. “Tell me.”

“I love you.”

Alex is so taken aback, not having expected to hear Zach say those words to him, that all he can do is stare back at him.

“It’s too soon, right?”

“No! I just…,” Alex quickly says, but when he sees the hurt look on Zach’s face, he flashes a small, uncomfortable smile, never having said these words to anyone other than his family. “I love you, too.”

“Yeah?”

“Yes, Zach,” Alex laughs, before resting his head on his chest and closing his eyes. “We can stay here for a little while longer before we go see your mom, right?”

Zach can’t help but smile, as he presses a kiss into Alex’s hair, before wrapping his arms around him.

“We can stay here all day. Well, until they kick us out…”

* * *

Zach has been dreading having this conversation with his mother ever since he had first started realizing that just maybe he was into guys. He had never had a reason to tell her though, so he had managed to put it off, but he doesn’t want to lie to her about Alex, so he knows he will have to face it sooner or later. Right now he would definitely choose later though, because as he and Alex are sitting on the couch, his mother on the other couch, staring them down, he definitely feels like running away and putting it off for as long as possible.

“I do not wish to have this conversation,” Mrs. Dempsey begins, and Zach almost tells her that he doesn’t want to have it either, but he keeps quiet. “But after what you said yesterday… about Alex being your boyfriend…”

“He is.”

“You are not gay, Zach.”

“No, I’m not,” Zach says, “But I _am_ dating Alex.”

“Is this because of what happened to your father? Is this you acting out? Because if you are trying to get my attention, you have it. But don’t do this, just because…

“No,” Zach quickly says, not wanting to hear any more of it. “I am not acting out. I’m in love with him, okay?”

“Why?” his mother asks. “What has happened to you?”

“Nothing has happened to me. I am in love with Alex, and I’m sorry if you can’t accept that, but I am happy. This has nothing to do with dad, or with me acting out. This is just me, dating the person I like. That’s it.”

“But why a boy?”

“I don’t know, mom,” Zach admits. “I don’t know why I like guys. Does there have to be a reason?”

Zach can see that his mother is struggling, but he doesn’t know what to tell her, other than what he has already told her.

“This is not what I want for you,” she admits after a long silence.

Alex can tell how much the comment hurts Zach, so he grabs his hand to comfort him, but the move doesn’t go unnoticed by Zach’s mother.

“This, it’s… I don’t want this life for you.”

“I know you wanted something different for me,” Zach sighs. “But what about what I want? What about what makes _me_ happy?”

“But why choose this kind of life? Why make it so hard on yourself?”

“This is not a choice,” Zach says, the frustration building up inside of him, but he knows that his mother means well, in her own way, so getting upset with her wouldn’t do any good. “I am happy, and I accept that you do not agree with it. But I am not going to pretend to be something I’m not, just to get your approval. That is not how I want to live my life.”

“I just don’t see how this can make you happy.”

“That’s okay,” Zach says, Alex’s hand still wrapped tightly around his. “I am, though. So I don’t think there is anything else to say here.”

“It’s not too late to change. You can still…”

“Do you even hear what you are saying?” Zach asks, struggling to keep calm. “I do not want to change, okay? I like who I am.”

“But…”

“No. I am with Alex, and I am happy, and that is all I have to say about it. We’re done here.”

Zach leads Alex up to his room, and as soon as the door has closed behind them, Alex wraps his arms around him, holding him tightly for the longest time.

“I am so sorry, Zach.”

“It is what it is,” Zach sighs. “I refuse to be like Monty, letting someone else decide how I live my life… I can’t do that, Alex. If she doesn’t agree with this… that’s on her.”

“I’m still sorry,” Alex whispers. “I can’t even imagine what that must feel like.”

“I’m okay, really,” Zach tries, but he can feel the tears welling up in his eyes, more out of frustration than anything.

“I’m proud of you,” Alex whispers. “For standing up for yourself. Even if your mom can’t see it…”

“She is just stuck in her own way of thinking.”

“Maybe she’ll come around.”

“She won’t. But it’s fine.”

“It’s not.”

“No, it’s not,” Zach agrees. “But I have to be okay with it. I can’t let it get to me. Not now I am finally…”

“What?”

“I meant what I said, you know? I am happy, Alex. Being with you makes me feel…”

“Fuck off, Zach,” Alex quickly scoffs, feeling uncomfortable with where this is going. But when Zach looks him in the eyes, he knows that he is serious about this.

“I need you to know how I feel. Especially after last night. I need you to know how much that meant to me.”

“I know.” Alex nods. “I’m just sorry it got ruined with all of this.”

“It didn’t. I won’t let her take last night away from us.”

* * *

“Wait, so she refuses to accept that you and Alex are dating?” Hannah asks, not even trying to hide her anger. “Are you fucking kidding me?”

“She wants me to focus on school, she doesn’t want me to date anyone.” Zach shrugs, but they all know that that’s not what this is about.

“So she’s totally cool with you being into dudes?” Justin asks, a knowing look on his face. “I’m sorry, but what is her problem? Alex is like… look at him, he’s harmless!”

“Thanks?”

“I’m pretty sure she had the whole ‘white-picket fence’ future in mind for me,” Zach admits. “That included a wife and a bunch of kids.”

“So? The only thing that changed is the wife. Big fucking deal.” Justin shrugs, and when they all look at him, he flashes a big, innocent grin. “What? Like we’re not all thinking it.”

“You are such an asshole,” Jessica laughs. “Seriously, Clay, I don’t know how you do it.”

“He has his good sides.” Clay shrugs, but when Justin wiggles his eyebrows, he just rolls his eyes. “I wasn’t talking about that.”

“Let’s not go there,” Hannah quickly says. “Again. But what are you going to do about your mom?”

“Nothing. I can’t make her accept it.” Zach shrugs, trying to ignore the guilty look on Alex’s face. “I’m glad I told her, though.”

“I just wish she would have had a better reaction,” Hannah says. “You guys are great together, so… I just don’t want her trying to break that up.”

“She won’t,” Zach says, flashing Alex a reassuring smile. “I won’t let her.”

* * *

“Remember when we were here, all those months ago?” Jessica asks, when Hannah sits down at their usual table at Monet’s. “And you made me ask out Alex?”

“Yeah… sorry,” Hannah chuckles uncomfortably. “If I had known…”

“That he was going to steal your boyfriend?”

“Well, shit. Yes!”

“I sometimes wonder what would have happened if I hadn’t asked him out,” Jessica admits. “Maybe you’d still be with Zach… Justin wouldn’t have moved in with Clay… what would have happened to him when Bryce got arrested…?”

“I definitely wouldn’t have been with Zach,” Hannah sighs. “I loved him, but seeing him with Alex… he’s in love with him. He never looked at me that way. I was too blind to see it, but what we had was more of a… I don’t know. It was more of a friendship, I guess.”

“With a lot of kissing?”

“Yeah,” Hannah chuckles. “We weren’t in love. Not really. Those guys are meant to be together. So whether you would have asked Alex out or not, they probably would have found each other one way or another. Same goes for Clay and Justin. Clay was obsessed with him, so if Justin was still living with Bryce when he was arrested, Clay would have stepped in to help him then.”

“I just feel like…”

“What?”

“Like I should have let Alex go, the second I found out about the kiss. Maybe they could have gotten together sooner.” Jessica shrugs. “I don’t know. I feel like we somehow stood in their way?”

“We stood in their way? We dumped them as soon as we realized they were into each other,” Hannah laughs. “I’m pretty sure we didn’t stop them from getting together. If anything, we pushed them to get together. So stop it. It all worked out in the end.”

“They are happy, right?” Jessica asks, as they look over to Alex and Zach, who are waiting for their drinks to be made, Zach’s arms wrapped around Alex’s waist, his face buried in Alex’s hair. Alex has the biggest, most care-free smile on his face, and he looks nothing like the boy he was only months ago, who looked like he wanted to do nothing more than disappear.

“We are turning into Clay and Justin,” Alex laughs, when Zach pulls him closer against him. “We said we’d never be like them, remember?”

“Well, I’m starting to see why they are the way they are.”

“Jesus. What has gotten into you?” Alex laughs, but Zach doesn’t have to answer, because they both know the answer to that.

Ever since the dance, their night at the hotel, and their conversation with Zach’s mother, something had changed between them. Any shame, or any awkwardness that was left between them, it had disappeared, and they had finally been able to truly let go.

“Get a room, you two,” they hear, and they turn to look, only to find Justin and Clay coming in, Justin with a big grin on his face. “Seriously, guys, I don’t know what happened, but I am all for this new…”

“Leave them alone.” Clay rolls his eyes, Alex and Zach trying hard not to laugh at how different the two guys still are. “Seriously.”

“Just leave him.” Justin grins, as he pulls his boyfriend in for a hug. “He didn’t get much sleep last night.”

“I hate you so much right now.”

“Love you, too.”

The girls look back at each other, both unable to keep the smile of their face.

“Yeah, I’d say they are happy.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi!  
> That was it! 😞  
> I hope you enjoyed it, and thank you so much for reading! ❤️  
> Xx
> 
> https://samunderthelights.tumblr.com/

**Author's Note:**

> Tumblr : https://samunderthelights.tumblr.com/


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